Project Lore

You guys may have noticed yesterday that ProjectLore.com now has a fresh, updated look. We're still the same Project Lore crew you know and love, just with a little more functionality and an overhaul from Squarespace.

Up top, you'll see a few new navigational features that will help you get around the site. We still have the same fun forums for all our readers, and we've added links for quick access to the Project Lore fan guild page, to our WoW glossary,  to the Project Lore store, and to our social page.

We've also highlighted a few of our more popular blog columns, including Proverb and WoWFlix, and given you easy access to news on Cataclysm and, of course, to our ever-popular episodes. Along the right-hand column you can sort blogs and episodes by their author and take a look at our handy guides on classes and talents, professions and instances.

Along with the new look, we also have a new podcast that we're hoping to continue with and grow in the coming weeks. Episode 3 has been recorded and will be posted soon for all of you to enjoy.

But we know not everything is perfect yet. Most of our archived blog posts from 2009 and earlier have formatting issues,  and we lost a large number of reader comments from the past few months. Please be patient with us, also, as we fix some links that don't appear to be working yet.

That's where you all come in. Although we know of some issues on the site resulting from our transition, we also know that more may arise as we work through getting our site as functional as possible. If you see anything that could be improved, please post a comment and let us know. Our comments feature, although a little different from our previous homepage, should still be working for all of you. And we'd love to hear more feedback from readers on what you think.

We hope you enjoy our new look!

Look up. See those guys in little boxes? Playing World of Warcraft? I know you miss them. We all do. But when site founder Alex Albrecht and his buddy Jeff Cannata aren't busy filming Project Lore, they spend their time on a little program called the Totally Rad Show (or is it the other way around?). Well, if you've been itching for your fix of these two handsome and very talented men, then you're in luck! The latest episode of Totally Rad features segments filmed live from this past weekend's BlizzCon (on a side note, does anyone ever actually call it Blizzard Convention? That just sounds weird...), which means you get to hear your Project Lore favorites rap about Cataclysm for the very first time, as well as a few of those other games shown at the event. If you don't recognize these guys, then you haven't been on Project Lore enough! They talk about the pre-show leak, several of the new features, and the surprising changes made to Azeroth. Jeff goes so far as to call it World of Warcraft 2, a sentiment I have to admit that I agree with. Well, maybe more like WoW 1.5 now that we know not every zone is going to get such a massive face lift, but the fact remains that Cataclysm represents a major overhaul of the game in more ways than one. Overall, it seems like the guys are really excited for the expansion, going so far as to say it rekindled a somewhat waning desire to play through recent raid content. Alex seems pretty enthralled with the ability to play as Worgen or go back into Deadmines at 85 (in fact, the crew's first time through the dungeon is currently replaying on Project Lore if you haven't caught it yet). Even Totally Rad's third pillar, Dan Trachtenberg, seemed intrigued with the prospect of getting back into the game. If you want to hear their thoughts on WoW, skip ahead to the 29-minute mark, but there're plenty of other cool (dare I say, rad) things in the episode. They include a review of Hayao Miyazaki's animated film Ponyo, the newest entry in the Wolfenstein series, and a segment on Epic Games' wonderful Metroidvania-inspired Shadow Complex (just finished it over the weekend, myself, and I can confirm the awesome). You've already heard so much of what we on the blogging side think of Cataclysm, but share with us your reactions to Alex and Jeff's, err... reactions to BlizzCon in the comments section!

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And when I say "Project Lore," I really mean "myself." I don't want to speak for the rest of my fellow bloggers, but I made a great number of predictions in my series of Cataclysm Countdown articles, leading up to the events this weekend. While I still maintain that most of them were logical considering what we knew at the time, Blizzard threw a major curveball that negated many of my initial preconceptions. Lore Malfurion Stormrage, Lord of the Druids A lot of people predicted that Queen Azshara would be the big baddie, the number one villain, of Cataclysm. But she was rarely referenced in any of the panels, and was all but missing from the expansion's reveal. At first, I believed that she might be brought into the story as Cataclysm rolls along. Maybe you'd defeat Deathwing after the first patch or something, and then Azshara would rise from the depths, ready to challenge players in the wake of the Black Dragon Aspect's demise. But through all of the live feed interviews and panel Q&As, it's been brought to light that they have no plans at all for Azshara or the Maelstrom to be included in this expansion. The best we can hope for, it seems, are a few related story elements revealed in the Vashj'ir zone. Other lore elements, such as Thrall becoming the next Guardian of Tirisfal or Cairne Bloodhoof being framed for betrayal, were completely side-stepped. I'm not sure anybody even bothered to ask during the Q&A sessions. However, a few revealed plot details do cooberate these ideas. Malfurion, who is supposed to be key in turning Thrall into the next Guardian, has indeed returned from the Emerald Dream to defend the World Tree from Ragnaros, and it was also mentioned that Garrosh is the one behind the changes to Orgrimmar (Dark Iron reinforcements) and the creation of a new Horde base near Darkshore. They stopped short of calling him the new Warchief , but clearly, he is privy to some power and influence that he didn't have before. Azeroth Remade Oh yes, the old Azeroth is gone, but not quite in the way we expected it to be. Once again, the supposed inclusion of Azshara implied something happening with the Maelstrom, and a water-related apocalypse. We've yet to see how Deathwing's explosion into the world has affected every zone (my guess is that Blizzard has shown those that are farther along like The Barrens and Darkshore), but we do know that lava, fire, and large gutters literally burned into the earth feature far more prominently than any sort of flooding. And in places where water has affected the environment (Desolace), it seems more like a positive change. Likewise, if the world map used to display the new zones is any indication, we will not be seeing any large, sweeping changes to the coastline. In some places, there may be light flooding, or new estuaries formed as the ocean fills in ancient rivers, but we have not seen anything on the scale of Swamp of Sorrows being completely washed away or Durotar being destroyed. Then again, there is still plenty of time for things to change, and as development progresses, we may still see several classic zones undergo similarly drastic transformations. New Zones I sincerely thought that we'd see a lot of the South Seas and the Maelstrom open up with the expansion, but with Azshara being nixed, that no longer seems to be the case. The two zones which represent the area, The Lost Isles and Vashj'ir, are both completely new, previously unrevealed in the lore. It is reported that Kezan will make a brief appearance (I'm guessing in the 1-5 level Goblin content, before they are forced to flee), but that's about it. Instead, we received a rather large surprise. To supplement the opening of previously closed mainland zones like Uldum and the area near Grim Batol (now the Twlight Highlands), we're also getting access to the Elemental Planes. These were long supposed to comprise an expansion all their own, and while it's slightly disappointing that we'll only be able to see small parts of them (aside from Deepholm, which we'll get to see all of), they are an exciting and interesting addition. My biggest disappointment? Probably the distinct lack of anything related to Trolls! I suppose there's always a chance that Zandalar could show up in a content patch somewhere down the road. Kul Tiras was missing, too. Mention of the Alliance nation was nowhere to be seen, but the prison in the new PvP/daily zone Tol Barad was reportedly built by then. That's something, I guess. Raids The first article in my Cataclysm Countdown series dealt with potential raid content. I proposed six different raid zones: Nazjatar, The Rift, Zandalar, Grim Batol, CoT: War of the Ancients, and Blackrock Mountain. Without the Maelstrom, those first two are completely out. Zandalar, as I've already said, I lament the exclusion of. And the War of the Ancients is no longer as integral to the expansion's story as it would've been (though Deathwing still played his part). That leaves Grim Batol and Blackrock Mountain (specifically, Blackwing Descent). I suppose one-third of my predictions isn't too bad in the grand scheme of thing, and I nailed two of the four raids. Right? Right? Blackwing Descent 2D Concept I'm also glad that we got to hear some details about Icecrown Citadel, something I was afraid might get completely overshadowed by the expansion announcement. PvP Now I was way, way off here. I anticipated all sorts of new PvP options to be implemented with the expansion, but it seems that Blizzard is largely content to stick to their roots. We get a new Wintergrasp-style area (Tol Barad, complete with Vault of Archavon-style raid instance) and the promise of three new Battlegrounds. The first of which will be the Battle for Gilneas, a fight for control of the capital city's various districts. Though I cited Hillsbrad as the primary area of contention, it's nice to know that I wasn't completely off when I said that the Forsaken would be causing havoc in the area. The only other revelations we saw at the convention were the promise of new arena maps and ranked Battlegrounds. I suppose this is something we'll be hearing a lot more about down the road. The Right of Wrong My final article laid out several rumors to be wary of going into BlizzCon, and I think I scored on every one of those. The oft-cited list of expansion zone sets was completely disproved. Just like my own predictions, it's easy to assume what zones might be included when you think you know what the next expansion is about. Both "The List" and I considered the whole of the South Seas fair game, but that was when we all thought Cataclysm was simply code for the Maelstrom. Then there was Cataclysm's release date. As expected, no specific date was given, but it was made clear that StarCraft 2 was their first priority for 2010. Nonetheless, while Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime tried his best to side-step saying anything definitive, he couldn't deny that they were, indeed, targeting two releases for next year. Finally, we got confirmation on the status of the old Azeroth. It's gone. For good. Finito. You'll never be able to go back and, no, the new version of the world won't simply be phased over it. There is one, single Azeroth. But phasing will still be used extensively. Perhaps even more exciting is that Blizz has figured out how to phase terrain, something previously said to be a limitation. This means that phasing can make the play experience even more dynamic. I questioned the Globes of Ulduar and came away with a win. The artwork included in both the Ulduar raid instance and Halls of Lightning displayed a freshly sundered Azeroth, in several stages. Many of the zones have changed, but we have seen no evidence of any of them completely disappearing or being underwater. There was an awful lot of denial going around before the reveal. A lot of people read the spoilers and said that most of it couldn't be done. That Azeroth wouldn't change so drastically. That the new race/combinations were impossible because they didn't jive with the lore. Well, most of it ended up being true, proving that the developers are the true masters of their lore. But that doesn't make them appreciate their watchdog fans any less. Chris Metzen stated, in one of the live feed interviews, that there is so much lore to consider, that during heavy and rapid development, it is quite possible for them to miss inconsistencies, and that the fans do a lot to keep them in check. So that's it for BlizzCon 2009. We (I) got a few things right, and a lot of things wrong. I'm willing to admit it! In the end, I'm glad we couldn't predict everything, as that would've taken the punch out of many of the surprises they had in store. But I still hope that we end up seeing all the things I touched on somewhere down the line. For now, it seems like Blizzard has their hands full implementing all of the content they revealed over the past few days! As usual, keep your eyes on Project Lore. After all, the more you know, the more questions you have. And the more questions you have, the more they consume your mind. We are in for another good year of speculation!

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Today's the today! In just a scant few hours, we'll know the truth of all the speculation and rumors we've been toiling over for the past couple of months. I have to admit that Blizzard's done a very good job of keeping things under wraps this year. We still don't know exactly how MMO-Champion got all of their details (though some of it was clearly mined from patch data), but it's clear they've learned a thing or two about keeping secrets. Those attending the event won't even be able to pick up their official, special edition event programs until after the Opening Ceremonies. If that's not telling, I don't know what is! Project Lore will be there with you throughout the entire two days, bringing you the latest World of Warcraft-related information as it happens. Sadly, Heartbourne and I couldn't make it out to Anaheim this year, but that's good news for you readers. We'll be manning the site more or less from home. Both of us have access to the live feed, which mean you'll get your news as fast as anyone on the show floor! Each panel will have its own post and we'll be covering them in tandem. We also expect to see articles and news items coming in throughout the weekend from our bloggers actually at the event. If rumors are proven true, and the expansion is playable at BlizzCon, we'll be sure to get some impressions thrown up on the site for you in due time. So please. Sit back, grab a 12-pack of Mountain Dew, and keep your eyes glued to Project Lore for the next two days! If you're still feeling antsy and haven't kept up with our pre-show coverage, please feel free to peruse some of the articles we've posted over the last couple of weeks.

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Just over a month ago ProjectLore turned one, and it seems that another of Alex's zanny ideas - read getting paid to perform his hobby - has paid off.  I first heard of Project Lore way back when Alex announced his intentions with the site.  I flat out loved the idea of "embracing WoW culture and the interactions between players".  So much that I covered the announcement for a completely different site, the now semi-defunct GetBuffed.com (no, it's not a porn or weightlifting site).  I applied upon seeing the open call for writers while the site was still in its infancy.  Here I am 365 days and 246 posts later, without any intention of stopping. I'll admit that I was apprehensive, anxious and even nervous during my early days here at Project Lore.  Those are three emotions I rarely ever feel.  My regression to an earlier mindset was due to the very community that I love being a part of.  I know the types out there on the Internet, and thus part of the WoW crowd.  WoW's own rampant success has creating a gigantic, teeming audience.  I've been writing about video games for nearly a decade now (over if you include my volunteer stuff), but ProjectLore brought me my largest audience by far.  Unfortunately not all of them are nice.  The haters, know it alls and sarcastic bastards intimidated me at first, but I grew a thick skin and can now take the criticism, constructive or not, in stride. Ok fine, so my early days weren't the pinnacle of journalism, or the highlight of blogging, but I like to feel that I have grown, substantially.  Grammar ("makes ends meat" anyone?), spelling and other stupid mistakes have been trimmed thanks to a higher attention to detail, and additional proofreading on each post.  But the meat and potatoes of writing is in the ideas, and they've come into their own thanks to the readers and guildmates.  Not only have your comments and forum threads sparked many lightbulbs, but you reignited my passion for World of Warcraft.  Although I returned during TBC, it wasn't until a few months in to this gig that I really returned.  That was because of the readers insatiable hunger for WoW content, be it digital or wordy. Speaking of ideas, here's a quick list of the reoccurring ones I've played a part in:

• Fond Memories
• Design a Dungeon (this will return with far more structure)
• The Balancing Act/Balancing Act (just realized this was split in three, woops)
• Another One Bites The Dust
• The Novel Post
• Questing
• The Experiment
• Melee DPS 101/DPS 101
• Wishful Thinking
• The Next Expansion

Although I am not a part of the detailed Proverb column yet, I hope Heartbourne (did I get it right?) will let me take the lore-filled column for a spin. I want to take this opportunity to say thanks for reading, keeping me on my toes, and sharing your opinions, objections and stories in a respectful manner.  That goes for everyone - except all you firsters, you can go to the back of the line.  Last is the new first. It's been fun watching the site mature, the readership grow and having additional writers to bounce ideas off of. Thanks for keeping my interest in the game at an all time high.  To another year of WoW, Project Lore and blogging!  Cheers. Oh, time for a little shameless self promotion.  I am on Twitter after much pestering from seemingly everyone.  Be gentle, I am still figuring out all this @, # and other odd uses of shift+numbers. /me packs for BlizzCon.

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As we've said before, we are on a bit of a hiatus from making videos. So, to help hold you over we wanted to remind you of all of our past episodes that we have, including some of our favorites. This week we'll bring back the Deadmines episodes that were not only a blast, but also spawned the infamous "Tigers can't use bridges" saying that so many people loved. If you just can't get enough of Project Lore be sure to check out our huge archive of previous episodes and follow our Twitter for the latest updates!

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I'd like to take a moment on the one year anniversary of Project Lore to address the fans in order to let you all know what's up with the us and what you can expect in the future from Project Lore. We're going through some changes here, which you may have already noticed. Over the next few months, you'll see the site and video content evolve, and in the end we will be an even better resource for you to find your favorite WoW content. We've heard your concerns about Project Lore and understand that you love the show for the same reasons we love it - embracing WoW culture and the interactions between players that make the game what it is.  Over the summer you can tell we've taken a little break from the bigger scale videos but rest assured that we want to give you a Project Lore Ulduar run just as soon as we can. In the mean time, be sure to check out the live streams of Ulduar runs that will be happening during the week and will start being featured here on Project Lore. They're going to be improving and becoming more interactive as time moves on, so watch our Twitter feed and check the site to see when they'll be happening. On one final note, we want to thank you all for your support over the last year. Without the fans, there would be no Project Lore, and we would never have made it for one year. Here's to the second year being even better!

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We are looking for more bloggers to cover World of Warcraft here at Project Lore, in particular some with fresh ideas and new perspectives. If you think you've got what it takes to join us, then keep on reading. We're looking for people with:

• A knowledge of and passion for World of Warcraft
• Solid writing ability
• A computer with fast, reliable internet access
• Software and ability to create and manipulate photos and screenshots
• Knowledge of basic HTML
• Eligibility to work, wherever you're writing from

To apply, send an email to editor@projectlore.com including the following:

• A subject line including your full name
• Your city and state
• Contact info including email address, instant message, and phone number.
• An introduction to you including your personal background, your background in WoW, along with current characters (with armory links), goals, and progression you have in-game.
• Three sample posts or guides that would fit in with our current blog or guide style.
• Three suggestions for how to improve Project Lore

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Allakhazam continues its interview series with with the Project Lore crew this week by conducting an interview with Lylelovett, Project Lore's protection warrior tank, AKA Joshua Brentano. When he isn't busy tanking for Project Lore, Joshua is also the Executive Producer of the hit G4 show, Attack of the Show. Joshua talked with Allakhazam about such topics as tanking, WotLK, and the future of WoW. Check out the interview with Joshua and let us know what you think! Also, don't forget to check out the other interviews with Dorkins, Juggynaut, and DrDark!

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Recently, I was interviewed for a feature on Nihilum's site. Nihilum is one of the most well known and amazingly dedicated guilds in the world, and they have claimed many world first kills. They are also one of the guilds that has completely beaten all of the Burning Crusade content, including the final boss of the Sunwell Plateau, Kil'jaden. The interview covered all sorts of subjects, from behind the scenes info about our videos, to Alexis' Wrap-Ups, Alex's CNN interview, and the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Check out the interview on Nihilum's site!

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