Project Lore

I'll tell you right off the bat that I'm not much of an economist. I don't play the Auction House, I don't farm for things to sell, and I only do dailies on occasion (usually if I'm determined to raise my reputation with a certain faction). With the guild vault taking care of most of my raiding bills, I don't usually have a whole lot else to spend money on aside from sending gold to an alt every once in awhile, and that's almost always repaid by the time they hit Level 80, themselves.

I've sat, more or less comfortably, around 4000 gold since Wrath of the Lich King launched. That is, until now. Trial of the Crusader, in all of its incarnations, has made me dirt poor!

Just two nights ago, I finally got the main-hand dagger I'd been looking for, Gouge of the Frigid Heart, off of Twin Val'kyr in 25-man. My guild's core group also likes to run 10-man Heroic on their own time, and wouldn't you know it? Nemesis Blade drops off the very same boss. Now, Nemesis Blade is ever-so-slightly better than Gouge of the Frigid Heart, but I'd already gone and spent 7-800 gold on enchanting it with Berserkering and I honestly didn't have the money left to do it again. So, for now, the superior dagger sits in my bank, completely unused.

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So, have you found a guild to join yet? If that's the case, then you might be wondering how to make yourself a bit more attractive to the guild leader and/or recruitment officers. Of course, there are several ways to do this. I mentioned yesterday that applying for a guild is a lot like applying for a job. Well, gearing up would be the equivalent of building your resume. Before I give you some suggestions, though, let me point something out: in theory, player skill is infinitely more valuable than gear. You'd be hard-pressed to find a top-level guild that doesn't agree with that statement, so learning to play your class is the number one, most important thing you need to improve. There are plenty of sites you can go to in order to find out how to perform like the best, but two of the most popular are TankSpot (as the name implies, chiefly for tanking classes) and Elitist Jerks (for just about everybody else). Elitist Jerks, in particular, has even been praised by World of Warcraft's Lead Systems Designer Ghostcrawler for their approach to theorycrafting (hint: they create their ideal builds from what exists in the game, instead of whining about what they think their classes deserve). So click on over to their site, scroll down to the class forums, and find the one that applies to you. They also have a handy Guild Recruitment forum for you to browse if you haven't found a suitable one to apply to yet, and considering the types that usually hang around Elitist Jerks, I'm willing to bet that many of them are top-tier choices. Of course, all the theorycrafting in the world means jack if you don't have the experience. This may seem like a bit of a Catch-22 -- "how do I learn about raiding if I can't find a guild to raid with?" -- but the game has different tiers of content for a reason. Whether you're a tank, healer, or DPS, run as many 5-man dungeons as you can. Is someone asking for help with the Amphiteater of Anguish in Zul'Drak? Go lend a hand. Sure, most groups, even PuGs, steamroll through these parts of the game these days, but that doesn't mean you can't test yourself. Take the things you've learned online and apply them as best as you possibly can to these encounters. Something else you might consider engaging in, oddly enough, is PvP. I wouldn't rely too heavily on this option, since specific strategies and class specs are going to be different in a raid environment, but its a good way to prepare yourself for the more chaotic encounters in the game. Being able to keep on your toes and respond well in a crisis is key to defeating many bosses later in the game. In fact, Faction Champions in Trial of the Crusade is basically a mock PvP battle. Those of you out there who play DPS classes may also want to check their level of damage against target dummies that can be found in every major city, but for any class looking to place a value on their play skill, I'd recommend downloading the Recount add-on. I can't emphasize enough how important knowing your class is. If you think you're already good enough, I guarantee you that you're not. There's always room for improvement, and people are rarely aware of their own shortcomings. I've encountered far too many people who acted like they knew what they were doing, but couldn't raid their way out of a wet paper bag. They'd stand in the fires or void zones, their dps barely broke 2000, and they often weren't where they were supposed to be in any given battle. Repeated wipes will quickly show which players aren't pulling their weight. By "gearing up," we didn't mean to level Engineering! So keep that in mind. Good guilds won't recruit you based on your word. They're going to look for bonafide proof that you know what you're doing. How about that gear then? As much as I've rambled on about experience in the past few paragraphs, the suit you wear is still important. An insightful recruiter might still pick up someone who shows potential (and they should if they want to increase their potential pool of applicants), but don't think you're going to be a first-, or even second-, stringer if you haven't got the right equipment. There are certain bosses in the game that some of us like to call "gear checks." These often exhibit relatively simple, predictable mechanics that taxes players to their limit. Think "target dummies that actually hit back." Of course, the most notable of these is Patchwerk in Naxxramas. He's kind of old news now, but the massive amount of damage to tanks pushed both them and the healers to do their absolute best, while a strict enrage time required damage-dealers to take him out before he wiped the entire raid. "Gear checks" and other tough encounters ensure that you need a minimum level of gear to compete. And unless they've opened their hearts and plan on giving you a little charity, any guild you plan on applying to is not going to feel very good about carrying your under-geared ass through a dungeon. At that point, you're reaping all the rewards while they're stuck with the dead weight. As for obtaining the gear that you need, following is a list of viable options:

• Run 5-Man Heroic Dungeons: If you've been building your experience through 5-man dungeon runs, then you've probably already picked up a few pieces of epic equipment just from defeating their end-bosses.
• PuG A Raid: This isn't my favorite option of all, but if you act smartly, it can be a viable resource. I'd warn against joining PuGs for the current tier of content (Ulduar or Trial of the Crusader), but Naxxramas should be fair game now. Both Sartharion and Malygos are fundamentally easy to kill, but the mechanics of their respective encounters are still too complex for some people to follow.
• Spend Your Emblems of Conquest: Well, thanks to the new badge system, gearing up is easier than ever. Each boss in a Heroic level dungeon or regular difficulty raid will cough up Emblems of Conquest. While they won't get you net you the latest tier of gear, you can still pick up a few pieces that are equivalent to what drops in Ulduar. So hop on over to your faction's badge vendor (they're both located in Dalaran).
• Craft Your Gear: Gather materials and make your own or have someone else make them for you. Some crafted purples are actually far better than the average dungeon drop and they're handy for filling in those empty spots when a potential recruiter looks up your Armory profile (speaking of which, always log out with your best PvE gear on when attempting to apply for a progression raiding guild).
• Pay For A Run: This may seem like cheating, but many top-tier guilds out there will allow you to pay for a spot in their raids. You're probably not going to get to run ToC this way, but you might be able to score a trip to Naxx or Ulduar. This might seem to conflict with my advice of PuGing above (since that's free, unless you put a price on time, and I do), but there are some advantages to paying -- you'll be running with an experienced group, which more or less guarantees success. The people running with you may already have better gear, reducing competition on drops. And, if you prove yourself to be a good, consistent performer, who knows? They might just invite you to join them permanently. Of course the limiter here is your own, personal gold reserve. If you're an industrious player who works the Auction House and spends a great deal of their game time doing dailies, it might not be a big deal, but for the rest, it can get quite expensive. The top Horde guild on my server (Anvilmar) lists a raid spot at 1k, which only buys you the run itself (and whatever else is given out to all players, like badges). If you want a piece of equipment or a tier token, you're going to have to shell out even more. But, hey, if you can afford it, they're happy to have you along. It funds their guild bank, while you get a quality service in return.
• Shop On The Auction House: Another option for the wealthy player. Just buy gear. Some bosses drop Bind-on-Equip items that guilds will then sell on the Auction House in order to help fund their own banks. Some of them are quite good and there's nothing shameful in purchasing them if you've got the money.
• Get Creative: If you've got a crazy idea for obtaining loot, make use of it. Propose an offer to a guild recruiter and see if they'll take you up on it. Maybe they're willing to help gear you up if you can, in turn, help them in one way or another. You scratch their back and they scratch yours. If they get kickbacks for bringing in quality new members, then it would be in their interest to make you improve. Don't be afraid to get a little dirty, as long as you aren't stealing gear from other people (progression guilds tend to frown or  black list known "ninjas").

If you need a guide to gear, LootRank is a good general resource. There are also some class- or spec-specific pages out there like ShadowPanther (Rogues) and ShadowPriest (speaks for itself). The class forums at Elitist Jerks often provide Best-In-Slot gear lists if you can sort through the rest of the information. The last piece of advice I have for you today is this: once you've got your gear, gem and enchant it. And do it is much as you can possibly afford. If you can buy epic, purple gems, do it. If you can buy the best enchants, get them. It will show a recruiter that you mean business and that you're willing to be one of the best if they allow you to join. If you don't have the money, earn some. At least load up on blue-level gems, and make it known that you're poor right now. Having under-gemmed and under-enchanted gear is one of the top reasons why people get turned away, so don't fall into that trap. All of these options can and do work for people who do not yet have access to the latest tier of content. If you want to get there, then yes, you're going to have to work your way up the gear ladder. It can take a few days or it can take a few months, but I hope I've proven to you that it's not impossible. And, as always, experience and knowing your class are key. On the next edition, I plan on addressing issues of guild etiquette and why no matter how hard you try to get into them, certain guilds might just not be for you.

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If you can drown out all the players on the official WoW forums QQing about how their class is underpowered, QQing about how easy new content is, and QQing about the price of Goldthorn Tea in Teldrassil, you may hear players QQing about things that were once difficult becoming too easy - such as obtaining mounts. You used to have to get to level 40 to get a mount, and it was a serious chunk of change to do so. And once you hit 60, you had to grind out quite a bit of gold before you could even consider getting an epic mount. For most players these days, its hardly become an afterthought to pick up their mount at level 20 for five gold and upgrade it to an epic mount at level 40 for pocket change. Flying mounts at 60? Only the norm. And with the Tome of Cold Weather Flight, the joy of first flight just isn't what it used to be. What is the value of being on the cutting edge? There is the notoriety of being a great player and the fleeting rewards, like the Plagued Proto-Drake. There is also the assurance that you will experience content before it is changed or removed, such as the classic Naxxramas or old world content before Cataclysm. But, for the most part, content becomes easier as time goes on. Some players did Ulduar weekly to get Emblems of Conquest, which are now farmed in heroics. Mr. Pinchy used to take players days to farm, and now you can get him in just a few casts. I got mine just yesterday in 5 minutes:

Speak with Mr. Pinchy and be granted a Wish! Maybe something good...maybe something bad.... Mr. Pinchy does not know!

What used to be difficult, cutting edge achievements, like Sarth 3D, are now puggable. Instead of spending dozens of hours being the first to down content, why not wait? I think Blizzard answered this question long ago when discussing the declining participation in arenas - players will go to where they can get the greatest rewards for the least amount of effort. While the amount of effort to do content when its new is much higher than when its months older, the relative reward is much higher. Hardly anyone would give you a second glance if you were in gear from Naxxramas 25 now-a-days, but it used to be a stamp of a pretty decent player. You could breeze through today, but if you struggled through it last December and reaped the rewards, you had the best gear available. Even though the gear is still the same, the fact that it was the best you could obtain gave it special value. Its hardly a good reward for something that is still a bit of effort. I personally spend a lot more time doing older content. I prefer to breeze through older content than spend lots of time being among the first to accomplish something. I like getting the stranger achievements and doing long-abandoned quests, like the Scepter of the Shifting Sands questline. Are you one to be on the cutting edge, or do you wait awhile before you attempt content?

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As per usual, Boubouille of MMO-Champion has been doing his fair share of digging in the game files, and the last PTR update has revealed some interesting new pets to add to your collection. They're so nauseatingly adorable, that even Elmyra would think twice about snatching up these little guys. Below is the list of cuddle-bums you pet freaks out there will no doubt be scouring the far corners of Azeroth for when 3.2.2 goes live (note: some of these were listed in last week's patch notes update):

• Cute pets... nature's defense against jerks and cynics! Onyxia Whelpling: Most of you already know about this one. It will be available to anyone who logs in during the 2-3 week period that Blizzard considers World of Warcraft's 5th anniversary in November.
• Zipao Tiger: The interwebs tells me that "Zi Pao" is both a kind of purple jade and a style of traditional Chinese carving. The look of the pet certainly seems to fit the color description, but I'm unsure how the tiger fits into the world or where it might come from. Could this have something to do with the impending relaunch of the game in China? A good-will present perhaps?
• Wind Rider Cub: A miniature version of the Horde's flying mount du jour.
• Gryphon Hatchling: A miniature version of the Alliance's flying mount du jour.
• Spectral Tiger Cub: Available only by obtaining a loot card from the upcoming "Scourgewar" trading card game expansion, the vanity version of the very rare Spectral Tiger Mount will no doubt be in similarly large demand!
• Pandaren Monk: This one has kind of come out of left field. Blizzard likes to joke about Pandaren in Warcraft as much as they do about the Cow Level in Diablo, and yet neither is a complete farce (there was a hidden, and very challenging Cow Level in Diablo II). The only in-game representation of the bear-like race so far has been a quest associated with famed brewmaster, Chen Stormstout. Well, at least until now. They may not be playable, and it doesn't mean you're going to start seeing NPCs popping up around Azeroth, but you can have finally have a mini-Pandaren of your very own.
• Lil' KT: Only Blizzard could be capable of making an Arch Lich into a cute, cuddly little pet. That's right. The "KT" stands for the one-and-only Master of Naxxramas, himself -- Kel'Thuzad. Like most of the others, it's currently unknown when or where this one drops.
• Core Hound Pup: Nothing cuter than a tiny, two-headed dog that spews lava all over your shoes, is there? I wonder if you can carry them around in your Gigantique bag.

So there you have it. It seems that with each new patch or expansion, the cadre of available vanity pets continues to grow by leaps and bounds. It makes you wonder why Blizzard hasn't implemented some sort of Pokemon-esque battling game with them yet. "Grunty the Murloc Marine, I CHOOSE YOU!" Anyway, which of these new pets are you readers looking forward to the most?

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Cataclysm Countdown is a series of informed speculative articles concerning things we might see in the next expansion that I will be posting every day this week, leading right up to Blizzcon. In the interest of thought purity, I will do my best to steer clear of recent “leaked” material, relying upon it only where it logically connects with the existing lore. Nothing hereafter is official or has been confirmed/denied by Blizzard at the time of its writing. It's coming down to the wire, folks. I've done the research, I've looked at the maps, I've made liberal use of WoWWiki. I've wrenched every bit of related lore out of my head that I possibly can without completely ruining Heartbourne's Proverb series! At this point, barring an eleventh-hour spillage of the beans, there just isn't a whole lot left to talk about. Speculation involving specifics of gear, skills, quest lines, professions, or anything else that can be easily slotted into a spreadsheet is completely off the table. There's just nowhere I can really go without more details. I call it... the Failstrom! Instead, I will shift my focus and give you some 100% pure, unbridled, Amatera-brand speculation about... your speculation. Or, rather, what people are buzzing about all over the WoWified regions of the internet. And just how completely wrong they are. Let's face it, when everything you "know" is simply what you've made up in your own head, then sometimes it's just better to keep your mouth shut. I think it was Peter Parker's Uncle Ben that said, "Add two cups of water and bring to a boil." Wise words, old man. Wise words, indeed. Regardless, below are several common things you need to be aware of as we enter the final countdown. Excuse me while I play this kickin' guitar solo... Item 1: "The List" -- You've probably seen it floating around the 'net over the past couple of years. It's a breakdown of zone "sets" reportedly used as a guideline for future expansions. According to the legend, it was first implemented by Blizzard internally, but only surfaced on the interwebs several years later (conveniently after Wrath had already been revealed). There is no legitimate record of this list anywhere before 2007, but since it's out in the wild now, its real test of validity will start with Cataclysm. Here's what it predicts for the next expansion: Gilneas - 77 to 80 Grim Batol - 78 to 81 Kul Tiras - 79 to 82 Kezan - 81 to 86 Tel Abim - 83 to 85 Zandalar - 84 to 87 Plunder Isle - 86 to 88 The Broken Isles - 87 to 90 The Maelstrom - 89 to 90 Rumors are rumors, but this doesn't totally jive with what we've been hearing lately, especially in terms of the level cap. Then again, if something like this was ever used within Blizzard in the beginning, I would expect it to diverge farther and farther from what is listed here as time goes on. But in all likelihood, the list is a farce. It's not terribly hard to put together. A good eye for details and a keen sense of prediction are all you truly need to do so. Lore nerds are pretty good about remembering which story threads have been left hanging, and by browsing through some of the extended-universe stuff found in the novels, as well as the books used to flesh out the table-top RPG, you can make a cursory list of interesting zones and places to visit in no time flat. Look closely at the set of zones above, and then cross-reference that with my speculative post about zones from two days ago. I'm not sure that Plunder Isle and Tel Abim are big enough to support players through two levels of experience. Now, there's a good chance we'll see several of these areas in the actual expansion, but really all this list represents is good guesswork. It's not from Blizzard, and never has been, so when somebody brings it up as a point of proof, don't take it as gospel. Item 2: Cataclysm's Release Date -- If anybody tells you that they know the expansion's release date, simply don't listen to them. I've heard everything from the end of this year to December 2012 (the appropriately apocalyptic end of the Mayan calendar). Addressing the former, I was honestly shocked there were people out there who expected Blizzard to pump out content faster than I did! In reality, there are several factors at play that make it impossible to pin down when Cataclysm might actually come out. First, how long will it take to wrap up Wrath of the Lich King? The Crusader's Coliseum is only halfway released. We can look forward to the revamped Onyxia fight in around a month (no, we won't have to wait 'til November; an encounter like that isn't going to sit on the PTR for over three months) or so. So unless Blizzard throws us a curve ball beforehand, we're likely to see Icecrown Citadel before the end of the year. Some people seem to think that won't be enough to hold players off until the expansion, though. My own prediction puts Cataclysm late next Spring or early next Summer, but it's become tradition to insert some sort of transitional event between expansions. Vanilla got the original version of Naxxramas and Burning Crusade got Sunwell. I'm having trouble wracking my brain for what we could see after Arthas, but perhaps the answer is simpler. Icecrown Citadel is rumored to be quite big, and I don't think it would be too far out there to assume that it may be released over two patches, with the Lich King sealing off his inner sanctum to delay players even further. Second, we have to consider Blizzard's own intentions. On one hand, they've expressed interest in releasing content, and expansions, at a faster pace. On the other, they're Blizzard. They've always taken the time necessary to polish their work until they're satisfied enough to put it out on the market. In that sense, I think it really depends on how far along they already are with Cataclysm. After pouring so much work into Wrath, it's hard to believe that they've already gotten the bulk of the next expansion done. I guess we'll find out tomorrow. With at least one major raid dungeon, and associated content, to go, don't expect to see it this year. And be wary of anyone who claims they know what the release date will be or throws a tantrum and says that the game is going to lose a significant portion of the playerbase if it doesn't come soon. Item 3: The New Azeroth Will Be Completely Phased -- I was naive. I admit it. Not too long ago, I proposed phasing the entirety of Azeroth to introduce new content to the old world. But unless the technology has significantly improved, that's no longer a possibility. You see, this was before we knew that the geography itself would change. Currently, phasing can only modify objects or widgets that are laid over the base terrain, which would rule out any tweaks to the shape of the land. Some people have wondered how they would be able to play with their low-level friends or what might happen to those few remaining chumps who only own the original game. Well, no worries. There will be phasing involved in certain quest lines or events, but the old world will be gone. Completely. You'll be able to interact with your lowbie buds in a brand-spankin'-new Azeroth. And for those unwilling to make the upgrade? Well, if they haven't been keeping up with the expansions, there's a good chance they haven't really been playing anyway. Item 4: The Globes of Ulduar -- These are interesting finds, indeed. If you go into Halls of Lightning or the Ulduar raid instance, you might stumble across some animated globes that show a distinctly different version of Azeroth. A big chunk of central Kalimdor is simply... gone. And several other areas have had their coastlines shorn. Some have speculated that these are visions of a future catastrophe, while others believe they merely show an ancient Azeroth under construction by the Ancients. The problem is that, until the Sundering, Azeroth was one giant landmass, Pangaea-style. These globes clearly show the continents separated, so whatever they depict, it happens after the collapsing of the Well of Eternity. But that's not why you should be wary, anyway. The fact of the matter is that these were likely Easter eggs put in by Blizzard during Wrath's development, and the level of destruction shown on the face of each globe is somewhat different. Despite the wonderful map overlays created by the community, they don't always match up with the details found in the text-based spoilers, either. These globes provide us with a hint of the future, but they are unlikely to be definitive representations of the Azeroth soon to be revealed. Item 5: It's Impossible To Do [Blank] -- There's been an awful lot of belly-aching in the community lately (and honestly, when isn't there?). People complaining about the new class combinations, or that Blizzard's seriously messing up the lore. It's hard to surf the official forums or comments section on any WoW-related blog without seeing people spreading the doom-and-gloom, warning Blizzard that they're about to alienate all their players by doing something they deem impossible. But the Warcraft universe is moving forward. Things must change, and Blizzard is well within their power to do so. All bets are off where Cataclysm is concerned. The world is reshaped, its people are forced into situations and alliances that they never have been before. Those who are friends will share their knowledge and skills, while those who are enemies will escalate their rage to new levels. Beyond that, some changes must be made to comply with new innovations in gameplay. Anyone who tells you otherwise is simply kidding themselves. So, equipped with the knowledge I've given you, you should be going into the announcement tomorrow with a better understanding of what to expect. Writing these speculative columns has been more challenge than you might think. It entails more than just pulling stuff out of your ass. Research and taking the time out to really reconsider what you're typing isn't easy. And, no doubt, some of it is going to be completely wrong. But I do hope that, in the end, I've been steering this ship in the right direction. So stay tuned to Project Lore over the weekend for extensive coverage of BlizzCon and just about all the Cataclysm goodies you can handle! Have you enjoyed these articles over the past week? What can I do to improve them in the future? In addition to hearing the remainder of your thoughts on the upcoming expansion (or how horribly misguided I've been), please give me your opinions or suggestions, as well.

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When good PUGs go bad. Up until recently, my participation in pick-up group (PUG) raids has been non-existent. However, I recently changed my death knight's spec to Blood to take advantage of the vast amounts of armor penetration (ArP) found on the gear in Ulduar. I was an Unholy death knight previously and cared little for ArP, but as Blood some of the items I passed up when we did Naxxramas and Malygos are suddenly huge upgrades. My guild exclusively raids heroic Ulduar at this point, so if I want to get my hands on items like Grim Toll or Melancholy Sabatons, I need to join PUGs. So over the past few weeks I've joined probably around a half dozen PUGs. While none of the PUGs I joined were disastrous, they certainly left much to be desired. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the top five people to /boggle at that I met through my recent pugging endeavors. #5 The Undergeared Complainer During one of my heroic Naxxramas PUGs, one of the women in the raid kept keying into vent to talk about all of the loot upgrades she needed. Every time we downed a boss, she would be very vocal about what item she wanted and would swear over vent when she lost the rolls. After losing her second roll she spoke over vent and complained that she couldn't believe people were rolling on these items when they already had purples equipped. That's when I inspected her. She was mostly in greens and a few blues. Her gear was so bad that the 24 other people in the raid were literally carrying her through the instance. She still had the gall to complain about other people rolling on gear. I believe I watched her lose every item she rolled on that night. Karmarific! #4 The Worst Ninja You knew there had to be a ninja story in here somewhere right? Well this one still has me baffled. A priest in our Naxxramas pug rolled need on an epic trash drop. It was bind on pick-up and it was a leather item, which of course a priest cannot equip. We asked him if he rolled need on accident and without a reply, he dropped offline and logged out of vent. He never returned. So this was either an accident or he is the world's worst ninja. If he meant to do it, what did he gain? He can't equip it and he can't give it to another player. At best he was an enchanter and could get a shard out of the gear. Otherwise, he can sell it to a vendor? What a score that was! More than likely, it was an honest mistake, which is fine. He should have, however, admitted it and then he could have put in a ticket to have the item transferred to someone who could use it. #3 The Backseat Raid Leader This is the guy who isn't leading the raid, but wants to be. It started off innocently enough. He was a hunter and used vent to coordinate misdirects with the other hunters. Fine. Slowly he started telling people where to stand and how his guild usually does this boss. The raid leader didn't stop him and by the end of the raid he was talking almost non-stop on vent, giving people advice about bosses we've all been killing for over half of a year. The part that really got on my nerves was he used the term "skaters" and "skating" when I believe most of the MMO population calls it "kiters" and "kiting". #2 The DPS Diva I was in a PUG in the Vault and we were about to face Emalon. Right before the pull, one of the warlocks interrupts the raid leader on vent and states that he needs someone assigned to help him mitigate his threat. He then goes on to explain that his DPS and threat are so high that even after he soul shatters he needs a paladin to cast salvation on him. He asks the raid leader which paladin will be assigned to him. Everyone was in shock. I couldn't believe someone would make 24 other people wait for this self-serving ego stroking session. So I sat up straight, moved my drink and snacks away from my playing area and put all of my focus on the encounter. I beat the diva in damage done and DPS for the fight. "IN THE FACE! IN THE FACE!" #1 The Lying Leader So as I mentioned earlier, one of the items I'm trying to procure in these PUGs is the Grim Toll trinket, which drops off of four different bosses in heroic Naxxramas. That's the only item I need in the entire instance and the sole reason for me to raid there. I joined a PUG with one of my guildmates and away we went. The loot rules were laid out to us in advance and they seemed very standard. Then my heart skipped a beat as the raid leader said something about wanting the Grim Toll. I got nervous and before getting saved to the instance I sent him a whisper. I asked him if the Grim Toll was reserved for someone or would we all be allowed to roll on it equally. He replied that everyone who could use it would be allowed to roll. Satisfied I zoned in and we began killing bosses. We got to Maexxna and sure enough, she dropped the Grim Toll. The raid leader asked everyone to roll and after losing says over vent that he's wanted that trinket for a long time and was going to take it for himself. Now I had lost the roll to someone else anyway, so that softened the blow a bit, but he downright lied to me. I was really angry. I told some of my guild members what had just happened and they all told me I should drop the raid. The issue was, I was already saved to his instance now and the trinket did have a chance of dropping off three other bosses. So it was either drop and have no chance at the trinket or stay and pray. So I stayed. Well a few bosses later, the raid leader cheated my guildmate out of a piece of loot that she had won fair and square. He altered the loot rules that he posted in chat at the beginning of the raid. Shortly after, I left the raid. I shouldn't be shocked. I know that kind of stuff happens all of the time. I guess I'm just used to raiding in the safety of a mature guild where everyone is happy when anyone in the guild receives a piece of loot. I can't stand liars and cheaters and that raid leader was both. Well in any case, I'm still searching for my Grim Toll and Melancholy Sabatons. Do you have any horror stories to share from your PUGs? Have you met any strange or amusing players that you would like to add to my list?

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Can I Be The Right Baby? I've brought up my humble little guild a few times in the past.  We've had our fair share of issues, but most of them have pertained to getting a raid going, let alone completing it.  After some hardwork from the leaders, a few weeks of gear farming for new members and a fresh batch of core raiders, the guild is back on track and finally in Ulduar.  We've come a long way from scrapping together 10-man Naxxramas raids earlier in the year, but we are still a very much a casual guild, at least by my standards.  Casual or not, all guilds have their share of drama, and lately it has been surrounding the object of endless bickering, purpalz. If there is anything that can instill a sense of hatred among guildmates, for no other reason than favor from the RNG, it is loot.  Interesting and new encounters get players into raiding, but it is the off chance at a new piece of shiny armor, or a pointy new piece of metal, that keeps many of us coming back week after week.  Insert some unskilled, unknown or otherwise "undeserving" players into the mix and you have all the ingredients for Drama Soup.  Add a healthy dose of PUG to the recipe and you have yourself the chunkiest Drama Stew since the creation of The Real Housewives franchise.  This is exactly what has been happening in Warriors of Faith lately. I haven't raided in almost two weeks, but previous to my E3 sabbatical we had a few nights that our heroic Naxxramas outings were filled in with PUGs.  Some of the pick-ups were old friends or friends of guildies, so they were known to the group.  Others were entire strangers, unfamiliar with our flavor of raiding, discussion and joking.  All of which tend to be various forms of toilet humor and other unprintable topics.  Don't get me wrong, PUGs and everyone in the raid deserves a shot at the gear they helped create, but it irks me when some stranger picks up a piece of loot I have been after since our first clear.  To make matters worse there is currently no restriction in my guild of how much loot any single player can take in a run, assuming the rules of the last raid I attended still stand.  That is what really cooks my goose. My last heroic Naxxramas clear saw a pair of PUGs pick up not one, not two, but five pieces of gear!  As I said, I am all for giving our saviors (this is what they were since the raid would have been delayed, possibly even canceled, without them) their just dessert, but is it too much to ask for a limit?  Sure, they saved our bacon, but the raid was still a guild run (20 or more guildies), not a PUG group. I never PUG full raids so I am not sure what the norm is.  Would imposing a limit of two class-based items or a single multi-class item be too far?  How about a lower max roll for PUGs?  If there is no restrictions to what an unfamiliar face can obtain, thus making everyone's chance exactly the same, then why should members even bother with a guild run when they could run a raid at their leisure with the same chance at loot?  Think about it.  In my opinion gearing up members is what a guild run is for.  PUGers are enticed by these oppurtunites for the fast clear, easy emblems and, naturally, a shot at some - often unwanted - loot. What do the PUGers out there think about limits?  How about other guilds who fill their ranks with the helpful populace?  Does anyone place restrictions on what a PUG can roll on?  Do you force them to roll lower (such as /random 75), fight over the scraps (unwanted loot), or pay them off with gold if they win a roll?  Or are they simply privileged to be a part of such an amazing guild, even if it is just temporary? A limited loot solution surely isn't perfect, would cause loot and scoot syndrome, and a lower chance at winning would upset people from the start, but keeping guild members happy should be job #1 for the guild.

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In the past few weeks here at Project Lore, we've had the pleasure of watching the crew battle their way through Naxxramas, until finally reaching the powerful "Kel' Thud." And while they've been busy up in the necropolis in the sky, I've also been busy leveling down below in Dragonblight. This zone has got to be one of my favorites in the game. The fantasy elements of WoW are a big draw for me, so a zone dedicated to the lore around dragons sucked me in. The valley wasteland known as the Great Dragonblight is a somewhat mysterious land littered with the corpses of all different kinds of dragons who have come for their final rest. But the Lich King and his Scourge legions have found use in the remaining skeletons, many which have been reanimated into undead frost wyrms such as the tragic Sindragosa and the very Sapphiron who now resides within Naxx. As for quests, the Dragonblight's offerings range from level 72 to 75 in the long grind to level 80, with a good few group quests, some giant elites to battle in the north and also several dailies. Both factions can pick up some sizable XP rewards (especially if you take advantage of rested XP when killing mobs) through questlines messing with the Scarlet Onslaught. Yes, the same baddies formerly in the Scarlet Crusade now have moved into Dragonblight in hopes of destroying the Lich King - and anyone else who stands in their way. I'm still trying to find a PUG to finish up Do Unto Others and the end of the Horde line. Another good line with some fun dragon lore lies in the Ruby Dragonshrine. And again both factions can partake, which is a plus in my book. But for me, the real fun came with visiting the holy Wyrmrest Temple, riding a dragon to the top and taking on missions from Alexstrasza, the queen of the dragons and guardian of all life on Azeroth. Plus, her character model looks really damn cool. She and Lord Afrasastrasz are involved with Horde, Alliance and neutral quests alike. And if you just can't get enough of her majesty, there's always the Defending Wyrmrest Temple daily that opens up after completing the Rifle the Bodies questline. You'll get to shoot down dragons while earning a little money, some xp and a bit of rep with the Wyrmrest Accord all at once. And as an added bonus, if you can manage to complete the quest in under two minutes, you'll earn the Rapid Defense achievement. That's my kind of quest. There's actually a ton more about Dragonblight that has really made me love this zone. I just have a couple more group quests to finish up before dinging 74 and moving on, probably to the dreaded Zul'Drak zone. I'm going to miss it. Has anyone else felt a kind of attachment to Dragonblight? How about any other zones? I'll admit it, I also still get nostalgic thinking about the many, many hours I've spent leveling in the Barrens.

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I admit that little of Blizzard's new raiding philosophy has sat well with me, so when details started trickling in about the next major content patch, you can imagine that I had a few beefs. Most notably, this little nugget:

Crusaders' Coliseum: In order to prepare for a siege on Icecrown Citadel, players will be called by the Argent Crusade to test their mettle in the Coliseum. 5-player, 10-player, and 25-player challenges await inside.

With the wealth of raiding content added in Burning Crusade, am I the only one that feels like Blizz has been sort of phoning it in? Sure, Ulduar's a fantastic instance, but Naxxramas really did feel like recycled content. Remarkably few people experienced its first iteration, and it was nice to smash Kel'Thuzad's face in, but the feel and design screamed "hand-me-down." Likewise, before Wrath hit the market, we knew Ulduar was on the horizon and were told that the doors to Icecrown Citadel would creak open with the release of 3.3, but Blizzard also hinted at a mystery raid that would appear sometime in-between. Now they're telling us it's the Argent Coliseum, a raid instance that Blue Zarhym describes as "Ring of Blood or Amphitheater of Anguish, but more epic" is the only bone being thrown? You call that a raid dungeon?! A raider's appetite is voracious (just ask Ensidia), and the meatier the content, the happier we're going to be! I hate to take a Blue's words at face value -- after all, they're just trying to help and don't necessarily represent the company as a whole -- but "another Ring of Blood" doesn't exactly inspire. You've already got three of those in various areas of Northrend! Coliseum-style quest lines are all fine and dandy for a few extra boxcars on the leveling train (as I sometimes describe my experience bar), but as a raid instance? I'm not so sure. Those raid designers are going to have to work some juju to convince me. Really, though, it just feels symptomatic of a greater malady. Hard modes? Who wouldn't want to see whole new encounters as opposed to a few over-charged bosses? It smacks of the same sort of lazy design most developers use to "enhance replayability" in their games by juicing the enemies and nerfing the player. A true Hard Mode works great with well-coded AI that becomes more and more devious as the difficulty scales higher, but the structure of WoW's PvE gameplay doesn't lend itself to those sorts of augmentations. Bosses are clockwork machines that work either on strict timers or random number generators. It's easy to strategize for them, and from there it's mere player execution. The path is not that hard to follow: a raid group encounters a boss for a first time, wipes and wipes to the point of frustration, finally kills that boss, then has it on farm. The "freshness" of any given in encounter doesn't last very long, and Hard modes, at least in my eyes, do very little to lengthen it. Despite my problems, I feel like i'm peeing on the wrong hydrant here. Blizzard's put a crazy amount of effort into this expansion and it shows in the cohesiveness of Northrend. I think it's great that the community can have differing opinions and honest debate about this topic with those that actually have to create the game. It shows a great amount of love and investment on all sides. Perhaps that's why their new raiding philosophy feels do damning to long-time players like myself. The focus has been on expanding the casual content, providing a wealth of quests to work through on the path to 80, dailies galore once you get there, and the opportunity to traverse content you never would have had a chance to in Burning Crusade. But in doing so, it seems to rob successive content (and the lore associated with it) of its impact.  Once terrible fiends in the WarCraft universe have had their rears thoroughly kicked in 5-mans, and as I've discussed here, the raid bosses haven't had it much better. This philosophy would've worked fine if it had been implemented from the ground up, but two expansions in, broadening the base of the content makes for an increasingly flat experience. Perhaps I'm belly-aching too much, though. I do find it weird to make a post like this on a night spent entirely having my face cratered by Mimiron, but it's also strange to know that by this time next week, yet another Titan will no doubt have been toppled. So you, dear readers, does WoW's new raid direction feel like a sweet deal to you, or does it leave a faint, sour taste in your mouth? Will 3.2 serve as a sufficient stop-gap between Ulduar and Icecrown, or is it just another bump in the road for the hardcore set?

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Band-Aid Fix For Lag Kills PvP Zone For all intents and purposes, Patch v3.1.2 was designed as a clean-up to Secrets of Ulduar.  The minor content patch added a few features that were meant for Ulduar's patch, including the swanky Equipment Manager, further "fixes" for Wintergrasp and general tweaks to the massive amount of changes v3.1 brought us.  Unfortunately the Band-Aid (TM) patch tore the wound open. It took Blizzard a little while to admit it, but v3.1.2 completely broke Wintergrasp on many servers.  If you don't happen to be on one of the affected servers then you missed out on some serious Honor.  The issue is that the Wintergrasp timer is royally screwed, which caused the battle to restart ~5-10 minutes after it had completed.  I managed to score a few Wintergrasp Achievements during my struggle to complete my daily fishing quest. I was also rewarded with a handful of marks and a token amount of Honor for my anglin' expedition.  It's unknown what caused the error, but Blizzard has disabled the PvP zone until it can be rectified. Thankfully, the Wintergrasp bug seems to be the only lingering issue, but it wasn't the only one for Magtheridon (US).  As with most patch days, my ancient server struggled to re-open in a timely fashion.  It was then plagued by login and world server issues, a problem that delayed last night's raid for more than an hour.  During the wait I tried to busy myself with Terminator Salvation.  It just wasn't my night, the action title fails to install from the DVD.  Sigh.  In the end my night of gaming was worth the wait.  By the evening's culmination I had scored a shiny new dagger to replace my dull Maexxna's Fang redux.  Score. How were your servers?  Any login problems?  Did you get a chance to soak up Wintergrasp wins, honor and tokens?  Exactly how bad is Terminator Salvation?

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