Patch 3.3: Background Downloading Continues
Amatera
I know the rest of you are as sad as I was to learn that today would not end up being patch day, but the march towards 3.3 continues on regardless. Logging onto World of Warcraft and then exiting again will activate the Background Downloader, which is now gathering data from the second chunk of the patch.
This piece (wow-partial-2.mpq) clocks in at a whopping 656 MB. That's even larger than the first (wow-partial-1.mpq), which was a "mere" 459 MB. If you do the math, that totals to just a scoche over 1.1 GB, making it one of the heftiest non-expansion patches we've seen so far! Not surprising with an expansive raid dungeon and three five man instances coming all at once.
But enough of the numbers. What could this mean for the release of Patch 3.3? Considering the size, I'd hope that this is the last pre-load we get and that any more data coming down the pike is doles out on release day (there really shouldn't be a whole lot left). However, this whole deal has thrown out a lot of what I thought I knew about patch cycles, leaving me with little desire to speculate any further on a specific date. Personally, I'd still love to see it this month, but at this point, any guess I could possible have comes out of hope rather than education, so I'll just stick with Blizzard's own age-old mantra: "soon."
We'll keep you up to date if anything else happens or new details come to light. In the meantime, feel free to share with us how your download experience is coming along. For me, it sped along until around 450, and now it's chugging very slowly towards the finish.
Edit: Oops! As some readers have pointed out, the total for both chunks of the patch is 656 MB, not for the second piece alone. No need to form a lynch mob, I'll go out back and beat myself!
This piece (wow-partial-2.mpq) clocks in at a whopping 656 MB. That's even larger than the first (wow-partial-1.mpq), which was a "mere" 459 MB. If you do the math, that totals to just a scoche over 1.1 GB, making it one of the heftiest non-expansion patches we've seen so far! Not surprising with an expansive raid dungeon and three five man instances coming all at once.
But enough of the numbers. What could this mean for the release of Patch 3.3? Considering the size, I'd hope that this is the last pre-load we get and that any more data coming down the pike is doles out on release day (there really shouldn't be a whole lot left). However, this whole deal has thrown out a lot of what I thought I knew about patch cycles, leaving me with little desire to speculate any further on a specific date. Personally, I'd still love to see it this month, but at this point, any guess I could possible have comes out of hope rather than education, so I'll just stick with Blizzard's own age-old mantra: "soon."
We'll keep you up to date if anything else happens or new details come to light. In the meantime, feel free to share with us how your download experience is coming along. For me, it sped along until around 450, and now it's chugging very slowly towards the finish.
Edit: Oops! As some readers have pointed out, the total for both chunks of the patch is 656 MB, not for the second piece alone. No need to form a lynch mob, I'll go out back and beat myself!
Judging How Long Raids Will Take
WoWFlix: How to Win at Raiding
WoWFlix is a column featuring videos from around the web related to World of Warcraft. If you find something you’d like to be featured, leave a comment or send a tweet to @Heartbourne.
Love him or hate him, wowcrendor's thick sarcasm can be either hilarious or unbearably dry.
Note: this video will not actually make you better at raiding.
wowcrendor does not nerd rage. He truth rages. His skepticism of the increasingly casual-friendly changes throughout the years of WoW flavors all of his videos. This one is no exception; and the casual-critical statements are all over the place. Its semi-mocking of hard modes and other game mechanics, like "standing in the fire". This isn't so much a video as a dialogue exaggerating the woes of the casual player: assembling enough people to conquer content, getting enough healers, and having everyone actually pay attention to the strategy.
Its a cute video, but you may be more familiar with his other works.
ICC Rogues' Gallery: Storming The Citadel
As of this posting, we still don't know precisely when Patch 3.3 is going to drop (could be tomorrow, could be next month). But we do know that people are going to be packed like sardines in the doorway of Icecrown Citadel once it does, and thought it might help if you knew exactly what you would be up against if you manage to make it past the portal (and the patch-day server issues). Project Lore presents to you the Rogues' Gallery, the first edition of which will cover the first four bosses that you will face whilst Storming The Citadel.
Lord Marrowgar -- At the beginning of the testing phase, this marrow monstrosity wasn't much different from the big old bone guards you see running around outside. Now he looks more like the leavings on your plate after a night of all-you-can-eat wings. As the front gatekeeper of Icecrown Citadel, Marrowgar's imposing visage will be staring you down the moment you enter the dungeon, with only a few trash pulls and a small battalion of Ashen Verdict soldiers (okay, Tirion Fordring and some of his best buds) between you and his mighty axe. Marrowgar may seem like the manifestation of Death himself, but take heart, he's hands down the easiest boss in the Citadel (and as the first, that may not be terribly surprising).
That doesn't mean you won't have to play hard, though. Marrowgar has a handful of menacing abilities that, like any boss, can quickly wipe your raid if aren't paying attention. Melee players will learn to loathe his Bone Storm, which is likely the largest whirlwind effect yet seen in the game. He'll spin like an over-sized top for awhile, shifting across the room and laying down a cross-pattern of Coldflame which inflicts 9000 frost damage per second. Even casters will have to be on the move during this phase. Once Marrowgar's rampage ends, it's time to strike. His Saber Lash deals 300% melee damage to the target and his nearest allies, meaning you might want to have more than one tank on the boss to soak up the extra damage. The only other thing to watch out for -- and it's admittedly a big one -- is his Bone Spike which can, in theory, impale multiple players at once.
Once defeated, Lord Marrowgar will shatter in an explosion of bone and the ice blocks will melt, allowing you to progress further into the dungeon.
Achievements:
Lady Deathwhisper -- Lady Deathwhisper awaits at the far end of the Icecrown Citadel's first level, though looking at her, you'd be hard pressed to find anything feminine about the vile lichess. Deathwhisper's job is to convert and prepare new recruits in the Lich King's service, and she's not afraid to use test the skills of her freshest meat on the next group of heroes that enter her sanctum. As you might guess, this is a fight focused on handling various cultist adds, which you'll have to fight in both normal and re-animated forms.
They come in two flavors: the Cultist Adherent and the Cultist Fanatic. The former is more of a caster-type and features normal ranged spells, curses, and powerful area-of-effect spells. The latter features melee attacks such as a cleave and an ability that absorbs healing on the afflicted player. Both can buff themselves (and perhaps each other).
Deathwhisper, herself, features the usual set of lich-like spells. You've got your Frostbolts, your Shadowbolts, your Death and Decay... but she's not afraid to use her silver tongue (or lack thereof) on your raid members, either. Her Dominate Mind ability not only charms a player for up to 12 seconds, it also boosts their damage 200% and healing 500%!
Crushing the putrescent proselytizer activates a lift on the side of the hall, which will take you outside the citadel to the Rampart of Skulls...
Achievements:
Gunship Battle -- Even in the face of their greatest foe yet, the tenuous partnership between the Horde and Alliance is constantly being tested. The Gunship Battle is evidence of that tension as both factions attempt to beat the other to the upper spire of Icecrown Citadel. Instead of milling about aimlessly in the skies of Northrend (as they have been for the last year), both Ogrim's Hammer and The Skybreaker will finally get their chance to shine.
This is not necessarily a hard fight once you've got the basic tenets under control, but the gimmicks employed are fun! I could've amused myself with the rocket pack on the PTR for hours, but the encounter had to start sometime. After cutting a path through both the Lich King's minions and NPCs of the opposing side, you'll reach your faction's airship. If you're Alliance, your forces are commanded by the dwarf Muradin Bronzebeard. If you're Horde, it's the Orc Elder Saurfang (who plays an even bigger part in the lore of the next boss).
Starting the battle causes your Gunship to lift off from the dock and head upwards, where it eventually sidles up next to the other pirate-style and the cannonballs start flying. Like the last fight, add control is pretty important here, but it's more of a defensive measure than an offensive one. The goal is not to defeat the opposing leader, but to cripple their airship, so killing adds becomes a measure to keep your raid from being overrun.
The basic flow of battle goes something like this: bomb the crap out of opposing faction, using the cannons mounted on the side -> once a quarter of the enemy ship's health has been lost, they'll send out a Mage -> the Mage freezes your cannons -> you send a boarding party over using rocket packs to kill said Mage -> your boarding party comes back. This is repeated until one side's health is reduced to zero, and you'll need to keep some of your party members on the deck of your own ship the entire time to pick up and whittle down the adds.
Once the enemy explodes into a fire-y ball of fire, a war chest opens up on your ship for loot and you dock on the next level of the citadel. Of course, despite what happens to either ship, the story dictates that both actually make it to the upper spire. However, in the way of both factions stands an imposing foe...
Achievements:
Deathbringer Saurfang -- The Wrathgate was only a setback! But unlike Kael'Thas' wussified turn in Magister's Terrace, the younger Saurfang is arguably much more powerful after being risen from the dead than that pansy Blood Elf ever was. While the ultimate fate of Alliance hero Bolvar Fordragon is still up in the air (he's being tortured as you enter Icecrown Citadel), Elder's son has been given the Death Knight treatment and the job of ass-kicking gatekeeper.
As the final boss of the first content release, he's far from a push-over and, arguably, presented the greatest challenge to anybody who encountered him on the PTR. Fighting against Deathbringer Saurfang can roughly be described as running into a brick wall. The kind of brick wall that, despite exuding a strong sense of structure and steadfastness (as most walls do), you have a hard time actually connecting with. You just sort of find yourself sprinting towards it and tripping over your own feet before you get there, but your face is hurt and bleeding as if you did make contact. Oh, and did I mention that should you manage to chip some of the stone of with your bruised and fleshy body, that it has an unhealthy (for you) habit of regenerating that lost concrete?
This is a roundabout way of saying that Deathbringer is one tough mother and that on the PTR he both had an extraordinarily high dodge rate and most of his abilities healed him in one way or another. He also summons adds like every 15 seconds. While some people will no doubt continue to clamor for Icecrown Citadel to be released all at once, I have a feeling that Saurfang will keep most guilds veeerrrryyy busy until the next wing is available.
The inevitable defeat of Deathbringer serves as both an appropriate bookmark in your ICC raiding career and the lore associated with some of Azeroth's greatest heroes.
Achievements:
Lord Marrowgar -- At the beginning of the testing phase, this marrow monstrosity wasn't much different from the big old bone guards you see running around outside. Now he looks more like the leavings on your plate after a night of all-you-can-eat wings. As the front gatekeeper of Icecrown Citadel, Marrowgar's imposing visage will be staring you down the moment you enter the dungeon, with only a few trash pulls and a small battalion of Ashen Verdict soldiers (okay, Tirion Fordring and some of his best buds) between you and his mighty axe. Marrowgar may seem like the manifestation of Death himself, but take heart, he's hands down the easiest boss in the Citadel (and as the first, that may not be terribly surprising).
That doesn't mean you won't have to play hard, though. Marrowgar has a handful of menacing abilities that, like any boss, can quickly wipe your raid if aren't paying attention. Melee players will learn to loathe his Bone Storm, which is likely the largest whirlwind effect yet seen in the game. He'll spin like an over-sized top for awhile, shifting across the room and laying down a cross-pattern of Coldflame which inflicts 9000 frost damage per second. Even casters will have to be on the move during this phase. Once Marrowgar's rampage ends, it's time to strike. His Saber Lash deals 300% melee damage to the target and his nearest allies, meaning you might want to have more than one tank on the boss to soak up the extra damage. The only other thing to watch out for -- and it's admittedly a big one -- is his Bone Spike which can, in theory, impale multiple players at once.
Once defeated, Lord Marrowgar will shatter in an explosion of bone and the ice blocks will melt, allowing you to progress further into the dungeon.
Achievements:
- Storming The Citadel (10/25/Heroic) -- Defeat the first four bosses in Icecrown Citadel.
- Boned (10/25) -- Defeat Lord Marrowgar without any raid member remaining impaled for more than 8 seconds.
Lady Deathwhisper -- Lady Deathwhisper awaits at the far end of the Icecrown Citadel's first level, though looking at her, you'd be hard pressed to find anything feminine about the vile lichess. Deathwhisper's job is to convert and prepare new recruits in the Lich King's service, and she's not afraid to use test the skills of her freshest meat on the next group of heroes that enter her sanctum. As you might guess, this is a fight focused on handling various cultist adds, which you'll have to fight in both normal and re-animated forms.
They come in two flavors: the Cultist Adherent and the Cultist Fanatic. The former is more of a caster-type and features normal ranged spells, curses, and powerful area-of-effect spells. The latter features melee attacks such as a cleave and an ability that absorbs healing on the afflicted player. Both can buff themselves (and perhaps each other).
Deathwhisper, herself, features the usual set of lich-like spells. You've got your Frostbolts, your Shadowbolts, your Death and Decay... but she's not afraid to use her silver tongue (or lack thereof) on your raid members, either. Her Dominate Mind ability not only charms a player for up to 12 seconds, it also boosts their damage 200% and healing 500%!
Crushing the putrescent proselytizer activates a lift on the side of the hall, which will take you outside the citadel to the Rampart of Skulls...
Achievements:
- Storming The Citadel (10/25/Heroic) -- Defeat the first four bosses in Icecrown Citadel.
- Full House (10/25) -- Defeat Lady Deathwhisper with at least five different types of Cultists active at the time of her demise.
Gunship Battle -- Even in the face of their greatest foe yet, the tenuous partnership between the Horde and Alliance is constantly being tested. The Gunship Battle is evidence of that tension as both factions attempt to beat the other to the upper spire of Icecrown Citadel. Instead of milling about aimlessly in the skies of Northrend (as they have been for the last year), both Ogrim's Hammer and The Skybreaker will finally get their chance to shine.
This is not necessarily a hard fight once you've got the basic tenets under control, but the gimmicks employed are fun! I could've amused myself with the rocket pack on the PTR for hours, but the encounter had to start sometime. After cutting a path through both the Lich King's minions and NPCs of the opposing side, you'll reach your faction's airship. If you're Alliance, your forces are commanded by the dwarf Muradin Bronzebeard. If you're Horde, it's the Orc Elder Saurfang (who plays an even bigger part in the lore of the next boss).
Starting the battle causes your Gunship to lift off from the dock and head upwards, where it eventually sidles up next to the other pirate-style and the cannonballs start flying. Like the last fight, add control is pretty important here, but it's more of a defensive measure than an offensive one. The goal is not to defeat the opposing leader, but to cripple their airship, so killing adds becomes a measure to keep your raid from being overrun.
The basic flow of battle goes something like this: bomb the crap out of opposing faction, using the cannons mounted on the side -> once a quarter of the enemy ship's health has been lost, they'll send out a Mage -> the Mage freezes your cannons -> you send a boarding party over using rocket packs to kill said Mage -> your boarding party comes back. This is repeated until one side's health is reduced to zero, and you'll need to keep some of your party members on the deck of your own ship the entire time to pick up and whittle down the adds.
Once the enemy explodes into a fire-y ball of fire, a war chest opens up on your ship for loot and you dock on the next level of the citadel. Of course, despite what happens to either ship, the story dictates that both actually make it to the upper spire. However, in the way of both factions stands an imposing foe...
Achievements:
- Storming The Citadel (10/25/Heroic) -- Defeat the first four bosses in Icecrown Citadel.
- I'm On A Boat! (10/25) -- Claim victory in the Gunship Battle without any raid member visiting the enemy gunship more than once (I bet you never thought you'd be here).
Deathbringer Saurfang -- The Wrathgate was only a setback! But unlike Kael'Thas' wussified turn in Magister's Terrace, the younger Saurfang is arguably much more powerful after being risen from the dead than that pansy Blood Elf ever was. While the ultimate fate of Alliance hero Bolvar Fordragon is still up in the air (he's being tortured as you enter Icecrown Citadel), Elder's son has been given the Death Knight treatment and the job of ass-kicking gatekeeper.
As the final boss of the first content release, he's far from a push-over and, arguably, presented the greatest challenge to anybody who encountered him on the PTR. Fighting against Deathbringer Saurfang can roughly be described as running into a brick wall. The kind of brick wall that, despite exuding a strong sense of structure and steadfastness (as most walls do), you have a hard time actually connecting with. You just sort of find yourself sprinting towards it and tripping over your own feet before you get there, but your face is hurt and bleeding as if you did make contact. Oh, and did I mention that should you manage to chip some of the stone of with your bruised and fleshy body, that it has an unhealthy (for you) habit of regenerating that lost concrete?
This is a roundabout way of saying that Deathbringer is one tough mother and that on the PTR he both had an extraordinarily high dodge rate and most of his abilities healed him in one way or another. He also summons adds like every 15 seconds. While some people will no doubt continue to clamor for Icecrown Citadel to be released all at once, I have a feeling that Saurfang will keep most guilds veeerrrryyy busy until the next wing is available.
The inevitable defeat of Deathbringer serves as both an appropriate bookmark in your ICC raiding career and the lore associated with some of Azeroth's greatest heroes.
Achievements:
- Storming The Citadel (10/25/Heroic) -- Defeat the first four bosses in Icecrown Citadel.
- I've Gone and Made A Mess (10/25) -- Defeat the Deathbringer before Mark of the Fallen Champion is cast five times.
Kirin Tor Rings Making A Good Return
[caption id="attachment_8815" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Geez, You'd Think The Resale Value Would Be Higher!"]
[/caption]
Reputation farming is a fact of life in World of Warcraft. Even before Solidsamm, or Solidsagart for that matter, hit level 80 I was already thinking of reputation grinding. Heck, I was working on Sons of Hodir for both toons before that fateful day came to pass. After grabbing my head and shoulder enchants I honed in on the one faction that I thought would be worth grinding ASAP, Kirin Tor. Sure, the Band of the Kirin Tor is only lvl 200, but it was one of the best rings available outside of Naxxramas. Another bonus is that it was a guaranteed item, no grinding heroics for the chance of winning a roll. All of that pales in comparison to the rings use effect, a free teleport to Dalaran that is on a unique cooldown timer.
There was a catch though. Actually 8,500 catches, all of them being gold pieces. The reason Solidsamm had to farm Kirin Tor reputation was for the faction discount. After dinging exalted with the neutral mages, Solidsamm was able to slid the ring onto his finger for a still-steep sum of 6,800 gold. Then came Patch 3.1 wit the Inscribed Band, followed by Patch 3.2 and the Etched Band. Each costing 1000g to upgrade (after faction discount). Bornakk announced that Patch 3.3 would bring a third, and probably final, update to the costly rings. Bringing the grand total to a whooping 9,800 gold spent. Upon hearing the announcement, I asked myself "Was it worth it?"
Easily. I had this debate with a friend when I was going about spending the initial 6,800 gold. I realized that it'd take me awhile to score a comparable ring from raiding due to them being lusted after by a few classes. So I spent that initial sack of gold to guarantee Solidsamm's possession of a Naxxramas 10man quality finger adornment. The same logic followed for each upgrade. Instead of having to get lucky, I'd plump down another 1,000 gold and have at least one capable ring.
The secondary benefit, the use teleport, has been icing on the cake - a cake made of all icing. The loot is all fine and dandy, but the clincher was the port. When initially purchased I assumed the ring would become useless as gear, but would offer me quick mode of transportation to Dalaran for as long as I needed it. It's enabled me to have two hearthstones, one for Dalaran and the other where ever I need to be most frequently. First it was outside Naxxramas, then it was in Storm Peaks and now its at the Argent Tournament grounds. Team the band with my not-so-safe transporter, and I can go to any place a level 80 would need to be in a heartbeat. I'd estimate that I've used the ring a few hundred times, saving me countless minutes, probably hours, of flying.
Best piece of gear I have ever purchased.
If you didn't plunk down the 6,800 early on, I wouldn't recommend you do it now, unless you're Mr. Moneybags (Solidsagart won't be getting it). Even though the incoming update will raise the flimsy metallic circle to ilvl 251, you probably won't use it enough to see a gainful return of 9,800 gold. Who bought in to the mage-crafted bands early on? Have you continued purchasing the upgrades? Have any hybrid classes purchased multiple versions for the same toon?
[/caption]
Reputation farming is a fact of life in World of Warcraft. Even before Solidsamm, or Solidsagart for that matter, hit level 80 I was already thinking of reputation grinding. Heck, I was working on Sons of Hodir for both toons before that fateful day came to pass. After grabbing my head and shoulder enchants I honed in on the one faction that I thought would be worth grinding ASAP, Kirin Tor. Sure, the Band of the Kirin Tor is only lvl 200, but it was one of the best rings available outside of Naxxramas. Another bonus is that it was a guaranteed item, no grinding heroics for the chance of winning a roll. All of that pales in comparison to the rings use effect, a free teleport to Dalaran that is on a unique cooldown timer.
There was a catch though. Actually 8,500 catches, all of them being gold pieces. The reason Solidsamm had to farm Kirin Tor reputation was for the faction discount. After dinging exalted with the neutral mages, Solidsamm was able to slid the ring onto his finger for a still-steep sum of 6,800 gold. Then came Patch 3.1 wit the Inscribed Band, followed by Patch 3.2 and the Etched Band. Each costing 1000g to upgrade (after faction discount). Bornakk announced that Patch 3.3 would bring a third, and probably final, update to the costly rings. Bringing the grand total to a whooping 9,800 gold spent. Upon hearing the announcement, I asked myself "Was it worth it?"
Easily. I had this debate with a friend when I was going about spending the initial 6,800 gold. I realized that it'd take me awhile to score a comparable ring from raiding due to them being lusted after by a few classes. So I spent that initial sack of gold to guarantee Solidsamm's possession of a Naxxramas 10man quality finger adornment. The same logic followed for each upgrade. Instead of having to get lucky, I'd plump down another 1,000 gold and have at least one capable ring.
The secondary benefit, the use teleport, has been icing on the cake - a cake made of all icing. The loot is all fine and dandy, but the clincher was the port. When initially purchased I assumed the ring would become useless as gear, but would offer me quick mode of transportation to Dalaran for as long as I needed it. It's enabled me to have two hearthstones, one for Dalaran and the other where ever I need to be most frequently. First it was outside Naxxramas, then it was in Storm Peaks and now its at the Argent Tournament grounds. Team the band with my not-so-safe transporter, and I can go to any place a level 80 would need to be in a heartbeat. I'd estimate that I've used the ring a few hundred times, saving me countless minutes, probably hours, of flying.
Best piece of gear I have ever purchased.
If you didn't plunk down the 6,800 early on, I wouldn't recommend you do it now, unless you're Mr. Moneybags (Solidsagart won't be getting it). Even though the incoming update will raise the flimsy metallic circle to ilvl 251, you probably won't use it enough to see a gainful return of 9,800 gold. Who bought in to the mage-crafted bands early on? Have you continued purchasing the upgrades? Have any hybrid classes purchased multiple versions for the same toon?
Tawainese Player "Beats" World of Warcraft
We always knew it was technically possible, but we never thought it would happen so soon: a little over a year since they initially became available, one account has earned every single achievement in the game! And what was the final one, you ask? The achievement that pushed him to the magical number of 986 of 986? That which has now become one of my personal least favorites, Turkey Lurkey.
Yes, the Tauren Druid, whose name is 小灰 (I won't even bother trying to pronounce that) passed the threshold by shooting a Rogue. I'm sure more than a few of you out there are amused by that. I suppose it also begs the question, why isn't there an achievement for getting all the achievements?!
But let's dial things back a second and take a closer look. According to MMO-Champion, 小灰 is still technically missing one called BB King, which requires you to pelt the opposite faction's leaders during Winter Veil (which hasn't occurred yet this year, of course). It's not part of the meta-achievement for the holiday and some people have been lead to believe that it could not be completed until this December at the earliest. So, in order to hit 986, the player had to take advantage of an old bug in a PvP achievement which effectively counted twice.
Even taking that into consideration, completing everything else is undoubtedly a monumental task which took a lot of planning, coordination, and called-in favors. It may even be possible that multiple people have shared the character, taking turns in order to knock out the achievements (because doing so would be a major drain on a single person's life otherwise). I suppose we'll figure out the truth of that when/if someone is able to talk to the owner of the account.
The sad part of all this, of course, is that Patch 3.3 will likely be released before 小灰 will have the chance to finish off BB King. With the gating system in place for Icecrown Citadel, this means that it will be at least several more months before the maximum number of achievements can be, well... achieved again.
As a little bit of a measuring stick, I want you to tell me how far along you readers are on your achievements! What's your count and what have you found it most difficult to complete? I'm a little over halfway with 540/986, myself, and most notably lacking in the PvP area.
Yes, the Tauren Druid, whose name is 小灰 (I won't even bother trying to pronounce that) passed the threshold by shooting a Rogue. I'm sure more than a few of you out there are amused by that. I suppose it also begs the question, why isn't there an achievement for getting all the achievements?!
But let's dial things back a second and take a closer look. According to MMO-Champion, 小灰 is still technically missing one called BB King, which requires you to pelt the opposite faction's leaders during Winter Veil (which hasn't occurred yet this year, of course). It's not part of the meta-achievement for the holiday and some people have been lead to believe that it could not be completed until this December at the earliest. So, in order to hit 986, the player had to take advantage of an old bug in a PvP achievement which effectively counted twice.
Even taking that into consideration, completing everything else is undoubtedly a monumental task which took a lot of planning, coordination, and called-in favors. It may even be possible that multiple people have shared the character, taking turns in order to knock out the achievements (because doing so would be a major drain on a single person's life otherwise). I suppose we'll figure out the truth of that when/if someone is able to talk to the owner of the account.
The sad part of all this, of course, is that Patch 3.3 will likely be released before 小灰 will have the chance to finish off BB King. With the gating system in place for Icecrown Citadel, this means that it will be at least several more months before the maximum number of achievements can be, well... achieved again.
As a little bit of a measuring stick, I want you to tell me how far along you readers are on your achievements! What's your count and what have you found it most difficult to complete? I'm a little over halfway with 540/986, myself, and most notably lacking in the PvP area.
Pilgrim's Bounty Retrospective
Azeroth's newest holiday is now over with, but how does it measure up to the rest? Join me as I take a quick look back on the past week of shooting things and sneaking into enemy cities to stuff your face!
Right of the bat, I can tell you the best thing about Pilgrim's Bounty: no Random Number Generator. The RNG has been the bane of several world events, including last month's Hallow's End where earning all of the achievements involves getting lucky with drops from several different sources. As some people have pointed out, this honestly calls into question the whole idea of an "achievement" in the first place, which ideally should be something earned from skill and not purely by chance.
And unlike some other achievements out there that literally rely on a roll of the dice, those associated with the holidays can prevent someone from earning their rewards for an entire year. So it was a welcome surprise when Pilgrim's Bounty ditched the randomness altogether, even though it's not part of the greater meta-achievement for the Violet Proto-Drake. All in all, it's probably for the better. Aside from, perhaps, Winter's Veil, few other Azerothian holidays fall on parts of the year when people in real life are off visiting family the entire time. As Pilgrim's Bounty only lasts six days, that drastically reduces the amount of time players have to spend completing it.
That doesn't mean it was all simple, though. Two accomplishments presented particular problems of their own. The first of these was The Turkinator, which asked players to kill forty wild turkeys in a row, with a maximum of thirty seconds between each death. I was lucky to finish it off the morning the event started, when few people were online, and even that took me a few attempts. One of the main issues was that there were only two places in the world to find the gobblers, and even if they were spread out over a fairly large area, you'd be competing with the rest of your faction for kills during prime time. To make matters worse, classes with speed boosts or instant ranged attacks had a distinct advantage at picking turkeys off before others could. And woe befall the player that strayed too far to the edge of a designated area only to find that they had completely run out of turkeys and turning around wouldn't be quick enough to find the next one necessary to keep up your chain.
I thought the whole idea of hunting turkeys was fun, but the concept could use a little tweaking, which would include bringing down the total kills needed for the achievement.
The second was Turkey Lurkey. As a Rogue, I spent a lot of time both dodging my fellow players (when I was in a bad mood) and giving them free hits (when I was feeling a bit more generous). While I derived a great deal of amusement from riding my Darkspear Raptor or casting Fan of Knives in fowl form, it just became plain old annoying after awhile and I vowed to only log-on as my Shaman for the duration of the holiday when my achievements were done.
That aside, it was still tough to find Rogues of certain races, but I managed to get all of them done by scouting Dalaran during peak hours. If you still have trouble with this next year, I might advocate going into Battlegrounds and looking for them that way. Since some servers have low racial populations (and Rogues themselves are a relative rarity compared to the olden days), it doesn't hurt to open your prospective pool up to your entire Battlegroup.
Of course, being a Rogue does have its advantages when faced with achievements like Pilgrim's Peril, which involves getting yourself seated at Bountiful Tables located outside the enemy faction's capital cities. Being able to sneak into position proved to be a great boon and I never once got killed or caught doing so. Darnassus was the most difficult if only because (as required by similar objectives during other holidays) you have to go through a guarded portal and most of the city to reach the tables. It's going to be much easier to perform tasks like that in Cataclysm where you'll probably be able to fly right to the place you need to reach.
On the flip side, I greatly enjoyed ganking Alliance players attempting to breach Undercity's courtyard. I spent some time there racking up the Honor Kills for the non-holiday achievement City Defender.
And that wasn't the end of Pilgrim's Bounty's wonderful side-effects. Perhaps it was charity on Blizzard's part, but utilizing the recipes you need to complete the dailies can get you from 1 to roughly 366 Cooking in no time flat. As a player who has only dabbled in the secondary profession over the years, this was a welcome alternative to raising the skill by farming the kinds of meat that only rarely appear on the auction house these days (and almost never in the desired quantities).
Everything else about Pilgrim's Bounty I found to be refreshingly easy to accomplish. City-hopping to complete the food-related dailies was a little irritating, but hardly the worst of things to complain about. When all was said and done, it only took me three days to complete the event and even that was only because I mis-fired a Turkey Shooter once and had to wait until the next day for quests to reset.
How did the rest of you fare? Do you have any concerns or complaints about the holiday? Was it one of your favorite or was its relative simplicity not engaging enough to hold your attention?
The second was Turkey Lurkey. As a Rogue, I spent a lot of time both dodging my fellow players (when I was in a bad mood) and giving them free hits (when I was feeling a bit more generous). While I derived a great deal of amusement from riding my Darkspear Raptor or casting Fan of Knives in fowl form, it just became plain old annoying after awhile and I vowed to only log-on as my Shaman for the duration of the holiday when my achievements were done.
That aside, it was still tough to find Rogues of certain races, but I managed to get all of them done by scouting Dalaran during peak hours. If you still have trouble with this next year, I might advocate going into Battlegrounds and looking for them that way. Since some servers have low racial populations (and Rogues themselves are a relative rarity compared to the olden days), it doesn't hurt to open your prospective pool up to your entire Battlegroup.
Of course, being a Rogue does have its advantages when faced with achievements like Pilgrim's Peril, which involves getting yourself seated at Bountiful Tables located outside the enemy faction's capital cities. Being able to sneak into position proved to be a great boon and I never once got killed or caught doing so. Darnassus was the most difficult if only because (as required by similar objectives during other holidays) you have to go through a guarded portal and most of the city to reach the tables. It's going to be much easier to perform tasks like that in Cataclysm where you'll probably be able to fly right to the place you need to reach.
On the flip side, I greatly enjoyed ganking Alliance players attempting to breach Undercity's courtyard. I spent some time there racking up the Honor Kills for the non-holiday achievement City Defender.
And that wasn't the end of Pilgrim's Bounty's wonderful side-effects. Perhaps it was charity on Blizzard's part, but utilizing the recipes you need to complete the dailies can get you from 1 to roughly 366 Cooking in no time flat. As a player who has only dabbled in the secondary profession over the years, this was a welcome alternative to raising the skill by farming the kinds of meat that only rarely appear on the auction house these days (and almost never in the desired quantities).
Everything else about Pilgrim's Bounty I found to be refreshingly easy to accomplish. City-hopping to complete the food-related dailies was a little irritating, but hardly the worst of things to complain about. When all was said and done, it only took me three days to complete the event and even that was only because I mis-fired a Turkey Shooter once and had to wait until the next day for quests to reset.
How did the rest of you fare? Do you have any concerns or complaints about the holiday? Was it one of your favorite or was its relative simplicity not engaging enough to hold your attention?
@Warcraft: 5th Anniversary Loot Code Sweepstakes
Miss out on some of those awesome loot cards exclusive to the CCG? Well, here's your chance to score without playing booster pack roulette (especially since some of these come from older/limited expansion sets) or trawling eBay for stupidly expensive single. @Warcraft is giving away codes as part of their 5th anniversary sweepstakes, and entering is easy: just be on Twitter and follow Blizzard's account by November 30th!
In our continuing celebration of World of Warcraft’s five-year anniversary, we’re in the mood to give away some fantastic prizes to a lucky selection of those following us on Twitter. Our offices are brimming with spare World of Warcraft loot codes and we feel it’s time to give back to those who have made this gaming community so great. Are you a pet collector who has yet to get your hands on a Robotic Homing Chicken, Baby Hippogryph, Ethereal Plunderer, or Baby Monkey pet? Have you ever wanted to cruise Northrend on an Area 51 Rocket, a Riding Turtle, Spectral Tiger, or Rooster mount? Well here’s your chance to win these and other extremely rare loot codes! All you have to do is join the tens of thousands of people already following us at www.twitter.com/warcraft; and hey, if you’re already a follower, you may already have a chance to win. Between November 30 and December 11, 2009 we’ll be selecting random winners daily from our growing list of followers, so start following our feed today! Official Warcraft Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/warcraft Official contest rules coming soonNow I'll be the first to admit that Twitter, even @Warcraft, plays host to an awful lot of fluff, but like many tools, it all depends on how you use it. So if you're still a nay-sayer, do understand that signing up only takes a minute of your time and you never have to type one character into the entry field if you don't feel like it! But if you do find that you enjoy using the service, don't forget to follow us @ProjectLore, too!
WoWFlix Vault: Christmas Time in Dun Morogh
WoWFlix Vault is a column featuring videos you may have missed from around the web related to World of Warcraft. If you find something you’d like to be featured, leave a comment or send a tweet to @Heartbourne.
Its the day after Thanksgiving. That means its almost Christmas!
This Christmas short is brought to you by the guys at Pure Pwnage. If you haven't seen it, go check it out! Its a mokumentary/sitcom featuring ridiulous characters like teh_pwnerer and teh_masterer. Episode 6 of Season 1 starts the World of Warcraft references. This short was made a little while after in late 2007. You can grab the mp3 from their site.
Its one of my favorite WoW songs, and one of my favorite Christmas songs. Nothing rings truer in my heart than recalling my first hours in Azeroth. There are lots of references I didn't get at first.
Lyrics with links!:
There's a place that looks like heaven Where I played 'till level seven Where the pine trees grow In Coldridge Valley snow That's a place that I remember Where it's always been December Burning yule-tide logs Killing wild troggs In the valley of the shadow moon I go strolling where the glowing magma pours And the lava brings back memories Of smelting presents in the heart of Ironforge When the grinding gets you down Hop a griffin to my town In the land of ice and snow It's always Christmas time in Dun Morogh Nothing's changed since I was small Rejold's brewing in Brewnall And Hammerfoot's old friend It seems he's lost again! Everyone's in need of questing There's a herd that needs protecting And when you've killed Vagash, We'll fetch old MacGrann's Stash! Pulling tricks on Jarven Thunderbrew Collecting fallout for Ozzie Togglevolt Hauling barrels for the Barleybrews Helping Felix get that one last missing bolt When the grinding gets you down Grab a flight back to my town In the land of ice and snow It's always Christmas time in Dun Morogh I met a girl by Iceflow Lake On Christmas night our hearts would break I said, "There's more to life than this" And she said, "I just want to fish" So if you happen by that way Wish her a "happy holiday" Cause in the land of ice and snow It's always Christmas time in Dun Morogh
Black Friday at Blizzard: Five Dollar WoW
Now this is quite the deal: starting today, November 27, and continuing through Sunday, November 29th, you can buy either a boxed retail copy or a digital download copy of Blizzard's popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft for only five dollars.
Thinking about getting your friends into the game? This might be your cheapest and most fun way of doing it. I'm considering getting a few of these just to have around as gifts or giveaway prizes. Its also a great way to start into dual boxing. I canceled one of my two WoW accounts recently, but the recruit-a-friend XP bonuses, like the Zhevra mount and 300% experience boost, might be enough to make me take up dual boxing again at some point.
Keep in mind that the World of Warcraft Battle Chest is currently $20 and includes WoW and the Burning Crusade expansion, as well as strategy guides. With resources like Project Lore, WoWHead, and WoWWiki, you probably will have little use for strategy guides. These are good entertainment value though; one of my friends bought the battle chest and chose to be a Warlock because the guide said warlocks were good for players "who like to win". Paladins, on the other hand, are for players "who don't like to lose". Additionally, the Battle Chest is likely to be updated within the next 8 months or so with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, and many of the features of Burning Crusade and Lich King, such as venturing to the Blood Elf and Draeni lands, may become part of the standard World of Warcraft game when the new expansion Cataclysm launches. As such, stockpiling WoW games may not be the wisest long-term investment.
If you are planning to use them for recruit-a-friend for your own dual-boxing purposes or as a gift, keep a few things in mind. The first thing you want to do is send your friend (or yourself; I'll assume you are friendly with yourself) a recruit-a-friend invitation from your account at this page. Once your friend creates a World of Warcraft account, they will be credited with 15 days of game time. Now would be a good time to gift them with the full version of World of Warcraft that you theoretically purchased for five dollars; either in digital or boxed form. They can install it if they haven't already so they can actually play, and when they add the retail version of WoW to their accounts, they will receive an additional 30 days of free game time. If they buy a month of game time, you will receive a free month of game time. If they buy two months, you receive a Zhevra mount.
For more details on recruit a friend, check out the WoWWiki page on it, or the official World of Warcraft FAQ.
Possible negatives include a cheap avenue for spammers to get into the game. Spammers get banned quickly, but can also make accounts cheaply and quickly with the same tricks players use to recruit friends
Are you going to take advantage of this deal?