Our friends over at The Guild are hard at work on season 3 -- if you've been following their Twitter feeds, you'll have seen that shooting is underway en masse, and while we haven't yet heard when they'll be done, it sounds like they're already keeping some long hours over there. Such long hours, in fact, that tempers are apparently flaring on the set -- as you can see above, director and editor Sean Becker has become a victim of Felicia Day's (substantial?) wrath, and been fired from the show.

Ok, not really -- they're just joking around. But even if he's kidding about what's in that "guild 3 master" box, we at least know there is a season 3 master, and that sooner than ever, we'll be able to see just what happened when Codex took that out-of-body sprint at the end of season 2. Can't wait to see it.

We went live with the WoW Insider Show yet again last Saturday, and this one was a good one: not only did Turpster and Lesley Smith join us, but we were also graced with the presence of Michelle Madison, of the podcasts Warcraft Outsiders and Video Game Outsiders. She was kind enough to make it past all of our inside jokes (she agreed it was prounounced "Fah-jord," which is as it should be) and mixed it up with some great discussion, including about the Midsummer Fire Festival, the new Tier 9 gear coming to the game (and the lore figures they named it after), and whether including quest objectives on the official map dumbs things down too much (spoiler: we basically said no).

It was an excellent show, and you can tune in to hear it by following any of the links below, or subscribing to our feed right over on iTunes itself (that guarantees you get the new shows every single Monday). We'll be back next week as always, so be sure to tune back in then.

Oh, and while we have you, keep an eye out soon for more information about what we're doing at BlizzCon. We've already scheduled our meetup on Thursday night around 8pm, but we haven't announced a location yet, so look for that soon. And if you aren't going to be in Anaheim, worry not -- we'll be streaming a special episode live from the meetup (with video, if everything works out as planned), so you'll be able to join us virtually. Will be really fun, so stay tuned.

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.

Listen here on the page:

It's officially summer, or Midsummer, if you like. This week's list is pretty hefty and even has a few seasonal entries. Enjoy!

• Cru the Dwarf: Sir Lothar has been given some cryptic orders.
• Dark Legacy Comics: Invention Time! I really liked this one. What could go wrong with Invention Time?
  
• GU Comics: Ingenious Plan. I have not yet done this, but I can't say I've been looking forward to it either. I did however spend some time screwing up my karma by the bonfire in Silvermoon City.
• GU Comics: More Fire Catching. I echo these sentiments.
• In the conclusion to Victor's plight from Experience Points, the punishment is laid out. I for one, agree RedWoodElf's comment. Then he ventures out onto a date "IRL" but doesn't get what he bargained for. Personally, I like comparing their head sizes. Oddly enough, he bravely pushes through.
  
• Check out the latest from Flintlocke vs. the Horde. I am totally jealous of that dude's button.
• In LFG's latest, the gnomes are getting restless, though they remain content to do nothing about it.
• NoObz: I'm Worth It. I never find any good options either.
• NPC: Kitty Names Revealed. It seems that cat identities are similar to those of females on the Internet.
• NPC: Perspective. Heck, people need guild bank alts these days! I have two.
• Teh Gladiators: The Beast Rares its Ugly Head(s).
• Kuo: When the Kobold disappears, the adventurers employ their own methods of finding him.
• World of Warcraft, eh?: The Battle is Lost. I love the detail of the creepy centaur's fingernails. I can't wait for the new features!

Our podcast returns once again to the virtual airwaves this afternoon. Lesley Smith will join us from here on WoW.com, and Turpster and I will also welcome Michelle Madison of the Videogame Outsiders and Warcraft Outsiders podcasts. You may remember that way back last year, they were kind enough to invite me on their show, so we're finally returning the favor, in the first of a small series of guests -- you can listen in this afternoon to hear more about that.

While Michelle is on, we'll chat about the most popular stories in the World of Warcraft for the past week, including the very popular Midsummer Fire Festival, the new information about the Tier 9 sets and their names, new achievement information found in patch 3.2, and the appearance of quest objectives on the map (and whether that dumbs the game down or not). And of course we'll talk more about our plans for BlizzCon, and after the show, we'll be over on Zangarmarsh partying it up and lighting and/or desecrating some flames, so be sure to join us for that.

Whew. Full show today. Tune in this afternoon over on the our Ustream page at June 27, 2009 3:30 PM EDT, or you can jump after the break to see an embedded feed. We'll see you then!

The other day, I was giving away a loot card code over on our Twitter account (as I tend to do -- are you following us over there yet?), and I asked people to send along suggestions for the titles they wanted to have in game. Mine is "the Noob" (for obvious reasons), but there were some really excellent ones in the mix: The Legend, The Fashionable, The Bounty Hunter, Banker (very practical, I agree), and my favorite suggestion, The Dying, for any character that dies at least 1,000 times.

We've actually asked this question in a Breakfast Topic before, but it was last year, when titles were still pretty hard to come by (nowadays, everyone's got at least one, right?). So let us hear them: if you could have any title you wanted, which would you choose?

And remember, Blizzard's listening: they've already put one fan-suggested title in the game, so who knows. Maybe the one you suggest in this thread will eventually be right above your character's head.

As expected, the twink enthusiasts over at TwinkInfo are supremely excited about that experience switch coming in patch 3.2 -- not only are they finally getting to stop XP gains on demand, but Blizzard has given them their own little easter egg in the game. We already knew the two NPCs with the switch for each faction were called Behsten in Stormwin and Slahtz in Orgrimmar (get it? "Best in slots?"), but now that the PTR is open, they've discovered something else: the NPCs themselves are twinked out with classic Rogue twink gear. From the Blackened Defias Chest to the Feet of the Lynx (and dual Assassin's Blades with Lifestealing), Blizzard went all out on these guys. As Drayner says, the only thing missing is a 'chanted Fishing Hat.

Not everybody is big on twinking -- lots of people think it's annoying to duck into the BGs for the first time and get rolled by an alt who's got a lot of money and time behind them. Fortunately, though, this XP change will not only legitimize twinking even more, but it'll get it out of our way as well, as players with XP turned off will only face other players with XP turned off (other twinks, essentially). Throw in that it's something twinks have been asking for a long time, and it's a win-win for everybody.

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Patch 3.2 will bring about a new 5, 10, and 25 man instance to WoW, and usher in a new 40-man battleground called the Isle of Conquest. WoW.com will have you covered every step of the way, from extensive PTR coverage through the official live release. Check out WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.2 for all the latest!

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Every Wednesday, Chase Christian of Encrypted Text invites you to enter the world of shadows, as we explore the secrets and mechanics of the Rogue class. This week, we talk VERY tongue-in-cheek about the upcoming addition of Axes to the Rogue arsenal.

As it turns out, my cynicism last week was completely unfounded. I had assumed Death Knights would be getting the new weapon skill that Blizzard had thrown up for grabs, and that we'd have yet another class rolling on Fist weapons. However, Rogues were the recipient of this new buff, and we'll now be able to use Axes in the upcoming patch!

While many of the old Rogue veterans may put the kibosh on using anything that's not a dagger, I'd like to see us take the opportunity to embrace this change. Orc Rogues will be able to take full advantage of Axe Specialization (which will actually include Fists in 3.2), and it opens up the door to an entirely new playstyle that I like to call 'The Lumberjack'. You'll see what I mean, after the cut.

Click here to submit a link to TDQ

This past week I undertook an epic unveiling of not so epic proportions in opening up my very own FigurePrint. Fortunately for you, the lucky viewer, I've captured this live on video -- a first encounter of the most awesome kind -- which can be found below the break!

The first thing that struck me upon opening the package was the weight of it all; the dome is real glass and is a fantastic way to display your character, keeping them free from dust and many other household evils that lurk outside of Azeroth. The reason I would want to go for a FigurePrint would be to immortalize my character, preserving the culmination of four and a half years hard gaming, and this extra layer of protection allows that to happen. It does however present a barrier, much like we have when playing the game, where we can't touch our character (This statement takes on a whole different meaning with some of Night Elf female mailbox dancers out there) but obviously it serves the purpose of protecting the FigurePrint so I guess I can let it slide.

Click on past the break to catch the video and check out the gallery getting up close and personal with FigurePrints!

Quite a show on our podcast last weekend -- while, despite lots of pre-show tweaking, I still wasn't able to get audio set up correctly, we were still able to get all our guests on. Both Lesley Smith and Chase Christian joined us to talk about all of the patch 3.2 changes we've heard about on the coming PTR, including Chase's thoughts on Rogues getting Axes, what the Coliseum will be like and the changes to Emblems in raids and Heroic instances. We also talked for just a bit about the Midsummer Fire Festival, which is on the realms right now. Turpster will be doing it, as he's still in the chase for the holiday achievements, but the rest of us are pretty meh.

And we talked about our plans for BlizzCon (live streaming ahoy!), and even gave away some loot codes. The contest from during the show is over and done with (so please don't bother emailing us about Yogg Saron any more), but just so you weekly listeners aren't out in the cold, we'll do this: two random commenters on this post before Wednesday the 24th at midnight will win a loot card code each. That's right: comment on this post (using a real email) before Wednesday at midnight and you'll have a chance to win a Footsteps of Illidan loot card of your own, thanks to our friends at WoWTCGLoot.com.

Enjoy the show, and we'll see you next week.

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.

Listen here on the page:

This week's comic list is a good one, so settle in and start clicking. To answer a comment on last week's post, comics can be submitted through the WoW.com tip form, or left as a comment on the most recent Sunday Morning Funnies post.

• Check out the latest from Cru the Dwarf.
• Dark Legacy Comics: Toe Stub.
• This comic from GU Comics is related more to Activision-Blizzard than to WoW specifically, although there is a WoW reference.
• Check out the latest from Experience Points.
• The latest Flintlocke vs. the Horde got me laughing, although you should check out the Taco Time comic first, if you haven't.
• This isn't the most recent comic from LFG, but I thought it might stand alone better.
• NoObz: To Pull Or Not To Pull.
• NPC: Just Like Me and Squirrel Flavor.
• Check out the latest from Teh Gladiators.
• Backward Compatible has a WoW-related comic out.
• The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf: Druids with Candy.
• Check out the latest from Kuo.

Click here to submit a link to TDQ