Project Lore

Love 'em or hate 'em, rogues have got to be sneaky. It's a good part of what defines the class, allows them, as leather-wearers, to deal melee dps without instant death, and sets them apart from other DPSers. So it's no huge surprise that Vanish, one of the key skills that rounds out that specialty, has long been debated because it's, as some players would say, "broken."

Just how is it or isn't it broken? Different players of different classes will give you varying answers. But the debate revolves around players/mobs/pets still being able to attack a rogue who has vanished, and a number of AoE/DoT effects that will immediately pull a vanished rogue back out of stealth. Personally, my main is a rogue, so I tend toward the side that vanish should allow a little bit of lenience to allow some time to get away, heal or regenerate some energy. But I certainly don't want it to be overpowered, either, because then it will inevitably get a nerf.

Enter Patch 3.3 on the PTR, and game developers announced hefty plans to unveil a Vanish fix. The hoopla began about a month ago, with blue poster Ghostcrawler announcing Blizzard's intentions on the WoW forums:

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The High Inquisitor is a new regular column at Project Lore that seeks answers to the greatest mysteries of Azeroth. Each week, the inquisitor will attack a previously unanswered question and attempt to explain the unknown. But she won’t rest until all plausible explanations are explored. The best, most probable comment(s) will be highlighted with the next edition’s inquisition. First off, a look back to last week's question on why dwarves are portrayed as drunk Scots. Azurienatei had this answer that may explain: "In both Irish and Scottish lore there is a type of fae, something between a leprechaun and what we think of as a dwarf, that wears red clothes, is heavily bearded, and often likes to trick humans in taverns and inns by drinking unattended ale. Given the demographics and of course the penchant for drinking these creatures were eventually molded in with dwarves." Most of you seemed to agree that WoW hasn't strayed much from the stereotypical view of a dwarf, which has evolved over time. Thanks for the input! Now onward to this week's inquisition! Last week was somewhat of a philosophical view on a topic that could be at least somewhat explained with real life folklore. So this week, let's take a look at something that, at least when thought of through a realistic magnifying glass, would be pretty much impossible; Just how do us WoW toons carry all that crap around in our bags while criss-crossing the world and fighting our enemies? Here's a look at what I have in this 22-slot Dragon Hide bag:

1. 49 Drakkari Offerings
2. 15 Vrykul Bones
3. 12 pieces of Salted Yeti Cheese (yummy)
4. 8 Core of Elements
5. 8 Dark Iron Scraps
6. Sayge's Fortune #29
7. A Horde LANCE (I refuse to believe that this would fit into a conventional bag!)
8. Green Brewfest Stein
9. 933 (!!) Frostbite Bullets
10. 2 Dalaran Fireworks
11. 9 Sewer Carp
12. A lone piece of Frostweave Cloth
13. Tabard of the Explorer
14. Frost-Rimed Cloth Gloves (Need to sell!)
15. 20 Heavy Frostweave Bandages
16. 14 Slabs of Salted Venison
17. Tabard of the Ebon Blade
18. 6 Relics of Ulduar
19. 891 Terrorshaft Arrows
20. 4 Knothide Armor Kits
21. Grom's Tribute
22. Brewfest Dress

Super-Scientifically Estimated weight: 452 pounds. And that's just one bag! Now multiply that by 5, and also consider all the armor and weapons we carry on ourselves that's NOT in bags. That's easily a TON, literally, of stuff we're carrying around. All without feeling any effects whatsoever. When put into a game mechanics perspective, it's certainly a matter of making it easier for a character to get around as they level or go about their business without having to stop at a bank or vendor every 10 minutes. But let's think beyond mechanics and decide whether the question could be answered with lore/in-game explanations. Consider the Bottomless Bag and Pack of Endless Pockets. Sure, they each have a limited number of slots, but not necessarily a specified amount of space. Could it be that, like a magician's hat (or Time Lord technology for all you Dr. Who fans) the bags are bigger on the inside? And if that's the case, then perhaps it's true for all equippable bags. But there's still the matter of the sheer weight of all our gear. Even if it fits in a bag, it's still incredibly heavy! Or is it? If the size of an item is compressed, then you could conjecture that the weight could be, too. Perhaps this also helps explain why a giant lance fits in the same slot as a tiny vial of poison. Or perhaps the answer lies not in the bags, but in the super strength of adventurers. Our toons are all so strong and fearsome that we manage to carry everything on us and it doesn't effect our fighting whatsoever. So here's where you all come in! Do you accept either of my possible answers? Have a better proposition? Let me know, and I'll feature the best comment(s) next week.

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Run Ma, It's A Hurricane! The Next Expansion is an ever growing series of articles that focuses on WoW's upcoming third expansion.  The column covers news, speculation and even gameplay mechanics that PL's writers would like to see implemented. The little quip about Southshore vs. Tarren Mill in yesterday's post was no accident.  We've discussed the topic at length in the past and it continues to instill a sense of nostalgia whenever it is brought up.  Unless you were trying to level during those days it was pure fun.  Even most of the lowbies didn't mind, as they got to be a part of the battle (even if it was a small part) and a glimpse of the future.  Occasionally the skirmishes became so large, and the resurrection timers so long, that one of the towns (often Tarren Mill due to level differences of the hubs) would be decimated.  Crushed, destroyed, void of anything but the corpses of the fallen and the invaders who laid them to rest. I've been waiting for a Blizzard sanctioned event since.  No, I don't count Wintergrasp.  What I want is the mix of PvP and PvE that the battles gone bye brought us.  If one side dominated the other than it had an adverse affect on one's ability to continue questing in the area.  Sure, the NPCs respawned quickly, but when the town was completely sacked they'd fall to another blade in a moment's notice.  Not to mention that it was damn near impossible to be questing between the two towns without being ganked. By binding a PvP/PvE area to the Honor system (sacking a town would give bonus honor to everyone involved) the system could be arbitrarily policed.  Upon the battle's completion the town would take time to recuperate.  With nothing to kill, and no honor to be gained the opposing faction would be forced to travel to some other land, giving the losers an opportunity to finish and turn in quests.  Or they could always prepare a counter-attack. Unfortunately some people would deem this as too hardcore, since your leveling could come to a crawl.  So I'll present another scenario along the same lines that wouldn't be PvP oriented, but pure PvE.  One that is a perfect application of Tabula Rasa's invading forces mechanic mixed into the speculated world event for WoW Cataclysm. With the Naga invading local shorelines the citizens of the areas beg for help, anybody's help.  Upon accepting your dispatch you are sent to various shores to clean up the invading forces, driving them back by the dozens.  Despite our best efforts the sea beasts overrun the shorelines, pushing further and further in.  As time progresses the bustling ports of Menethil Harbor, Southshore, Booty Bay and more are taken by the Naga.  With our shipping and supply lines in peril the capital cities have no choice but to attack the Naga's home.  It isn't until we breach their final defenses that the Naga swarm retreats back into the ocean to defend their Queen. Think of it as a reverse Isle of Quel'Danas event.  Instead of us opening up content by reclaiming the island, the invasion's progress (which would be an unstoppable force) would reveal new objectives.  We'd start off with simple quests to collect information and slaughter the early cannon fodder.  Then we would work our way up to Naga Officers (outdoor bosses), staging grounds (5-man dungeons somewhere on the shores) and naval combat (ship to ship battles against the Naga).  The aquatic tyranny would not end until we have breached the Maelstrom and located the Naga hideout.  The bosses and invading force would then return, leaving the land mostly intact. What do you think?  Would you rather the mix scenario or straight up PvE?  Any other ideas out there for a return of TM vs SS style combat?  At least these scenarios would finally make the Local Defense channel actually mean something.

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UPDATE 7/7/09 Wow, I figured this would be fixed, but I didn't think it would come quite this quick. Mania's Arcade now is reporting that the Worgen can no longer be tamed, and those that already have been tamed are somewhat useless. It was a good show while it lasted! Earlier: This past weekend was a great one for hunters everywhere as word spread about a newly discovered way to tame a Worgen - WoW's version of a werewolf-like, badass humanoid creature. It turns out that with just the right timing (described in detail at Mania's Arcade) you can tame Garwal, an NPC in northern Howling Fjord who gives out the quest Alpha Worg (in both Horde and Alliance versions). He has both a worg (beast) and a worgen form, and you have to tame him at just the right time to make sure you get to keep him as a worgen. And once you've gone through the trials of claiming the worgen pet, you then have to be careful in order to keep him. You shouldn't, for example, risk certain activities like bringing him out in an arena, lest risk his return to worg form. Now the big question - will Blizzard allow this game exploit/bug/awesomeness to stay in the game? All this excitement over an unexpected new pet reminds me of a similar situation with the Ancient Grimtotem Spirit Guide, who once upon a time in late 2007 / early 2008 was tameable. Similar to this time around, there was a ton of activity on the official hunter forums about the new addition to the pet kingdom. First, a blue poster for WoW Europe said the bug would not be removed. A couple weeks later, a separate post on the US forums informed us that the ability had been removed through a hotfix. With this in mind, it seems unlikely that the worgen will remain as a pet, now matter how many petitions you sign. In fact, I'd say that all the attention the topic is receiving through blogs and the forums may just hasten Blizzard's response. But, there is some good news. If you're able to claim him quickly enough, I would say that chances are good you'll get to keep him. Any non-hunters who are trying to complete the Alpha Worg quest in the meantime may just have to put up with some serious competition! Also something to keep in mind - not everyone is happy with being able to tame a worgen. But I'm keeping my positive stance until I hear a good reason beyond jealously because you've already turned in that quest and can't go back to redo it (Yeah, I know it sucks. But at least some people can partake in the fun - I'm all for that). I've had  a great time sorting through the dozens of threads that have spawned up as a result of the whole situation. Everything from what to name your new pet worgen (my fave submissions - ManBearPig, Sirius, GonnaGetDeleted) to what other creatures players wish they could tame (griffons and zhevras are high on my list). It also makes me want to log on to my lowly level 19 hunter in the Project Lore fan guild and start pumping her up. It's a race against the clock! So what does everyone else think of this recently discovered game mechanic? Have any of you hunters gone out and tamed a worgen yet, or have most of you already completed that quest? For those of you who have successfully tamed the worgen, are you hopeful that you'll be able to keep him?

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