WoW.com: The new WoW Insider

Encrypted Text: Leveling a rogue, level 51-70

by Chase Christian on Nov 5th 2009 (1 day ago)

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 about leveling a rogue from level 51 to level 70.

If you've ever leveled a rogue (or really any class) to 80 before, you know that there's certain spots in the leveling curve that can get downright boring. We play like a "dual wielding warrior" far too often, preferring to simply walk up to enemies and Slice and Dice our way to a kill. Rogues have a variety of skills, but it seems like Sinister Strike is really the only one worth pushing. Where's the fun in spamming one ability mindlessly until the enemy falls over from boredom?

Luckily for us, all of that ends at level 50 and above. We receive some of our core abilities via our 41-point talents, and each spec becomes a completely different playstyle from what you've been using for the past 50 levels. In addition, we pick up some of the clutch PvP abilities that were added in TBC that allowed rogues to compete in the arena environment. To summarize: leveling a rogue just got real.

Filed under: Rogue, Leveling, (Rogue) Encrypted Text

Patch 3.3: Teleporting in and out of instances

by Mike Schramm on Nov 5th 2009 (1 day ago)

The most recent patch notes answered something I've been wondering about the "summon-from-anywhere" LFG system since I first heard about it: what happens if you get summoned into an instance and then you leave? The answer, apparently, is that you go not to the instance's entry portal, but instead you get sent right back out from whence you came. That's a bummer and a benefit -- unfortunately, you won't be able to use the feature to do any cross-world teleporting (leaving Violet Hold, for example, won't work as an extra hearthstone to Dalaran), but on the other hand, you won't have to stop what you're doing wherever you are.

In fact, porting in and out of any instances you run may change your positioning in the game completely. Nibuca doesn't see any need any more to leave a hearthstone in Dalaran -- that was previously the most central location for collecting daily dungeon quests and flying out to meeting stones, but with neither of those things necessary any more, you can park your stone anywhere you want. It'll be very interesting to see how movement patterns change after the new system goes live. I doubt Dalaran will be a ghost town (if nothing else, there will be plenty of people there sitting in LFG chat), but certainly the LFG is mixing up the reasons that a lot of people are hanging around there.

Patch 3.3 is the last major patch of Wrath of the Lich King. With the new Icecrown Citadel 5-man dungeons and 10/25-man raid arriving soon, patch 3.3 will deal the final blow to the Arthas. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3 will keep you updated with all the latest patch news.

Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Instances

The Queue: Tooth explosion

by Alex Ziebart on Nov 5th 2009 (1 day ago)

Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's (almost) daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

Today's edition of The Queue is gifted to you by my horrifying toothache that has kept me awake at ridiculous times of the day for the past week. You can thank the toothache for this article, because otherwise I may have done something healthy instead, such as sleep.

Mordockk asked...

"Is Quel'Delar going to be a Legendary weapon? If so, does that mean there is going to be two Legendary weapons next patch?"

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Battlegrounds, Arena, The Queue

The Daily Quest: Keepin' the Clouds Away

by Adam Holisky on Nov 5th 2009 (1 day ago)

We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere.

Restokin answers a popular set of healing questions floating around the intertubes.
WoW Relief has a good point about the new microtransaction pets and Blizzard's history with Make-a-Wish.
Altadin: 25 divided by 10.
Stormstrike sits down with an interview of the developer behind Gear Score.

Click here to submit a link to TDQ

Filed under: Druid, The Daily Quest

Official Tier 10 preview update: Priest & Paladin

by Michael Sacco on Nov 5th 2009 (2 days ago)

UPDATE: The paladin set image was fixed on the official site and is now correct. Nice skull bolo tie, guys.

Blizzard has been a little slow with their drip of Tier 10 previews -- those who visit MMO-Champion, for example, have known what the Patch 3.3 priest and paladin sets look like for a week or more -- but it's still nice that they're trying. With that in mind, the official Tier 10 preview page was updated today, adding the priest and paladin sets. Well, the priest set, anyway -- it looks like the paladin one is actually next season's paladin PVP set -- so you paladins'll have to wait a little longer to see the official pictures of your Texas oilman/Spanish conquistador set. But at least you guys have something to look at, unlike shamans, who'll undoubtedly have to wait until the end of the PTR cycle to see what combination of exploding rocks and chains we've got for our shoulders this time.

And would it be too much to ask to get some of these sets on somebody that's not a human male, arguably the absolute worst model on which to preview armor? Looks like I've got a case of the Mondays.

Filed under: News items

Patch 3.3 PTR: Get a pug when you PUG

by Zach Yonzon on Nov 5th 2009 (2 days ago)

Because those guys at Blizzard have a wonderful sense of humor as well as an unerring knack of dangling the right carrots in front of players' proverbial horses, they've come up with the most adorable little pet to entice everyone to try out the new dungeon system to be implemented in patch 3.3. Called the Perky Pug, this elusive and adorable little fellow is rewarded to players who group with other random players using the new dungeon system. According to the patch notes, "the more random players with whom one groups, the faster the pet can be obtained."

That means the process can actually be pretty painful. It's kind of like playing Russian Roulette, except that instead of one bullet, you can possibly have four. And instead of bullets you have inept, or badly geared, or socially abrasive (or combinations of all three) players. And instead of your head, it's your... well, okay, it's still your head that can get pretty messed up.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Instances

Malware targeting gamers gets some mainstream spotlight

by Zach Yonzon on Nov 5th 2009 (2 days ago)

Those vicious and despicable malware authors are targeting gamers, according to BBC.

I know, big whoop, right?

The news article reports on something many World of Warcraft players have known for years -- that viruses, phishing sites, trojans, and all those dirty tech terms have us gamers smack in the middle of their digital crosshairs. The findings are a result from a study by Microsoft, which tracked the exceptional growth of a family of worms called Taterf.

The programs have been around for some time now, snooping around players' computers for login details to various games with in-game currency. World of Warcraft players are juicy targets because of the remarkably large player base and existence of the gold-buying industry which Blizzard has actively warned and fought against. While the findings are nothing new, they only serve to confirm our fears about the growing threats to our accounts.

WoW.com has been big about account security for awhile, and it's nice to see the mainstream media begin to show some attention to the matter.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Account Security

WoW Moviewatch: The Achiever 3 - Going Down!

by Michael Gray on Nov 5th 2009 (2 days ago)

Origano is back with the third installment of The Achiever. This episode features similar Achievement-fetching exploits as the first two, but it's definitely starting to come up a notch. As a nice bit of continuity, the new installment is voice-acted by Farinar, who you might recall from Dr. McNab Destroys Halloween yesterday. The Achiever 3 - Going Down! also enjoys a guest appearance by Whowho, one of the bloggers over at the Myndflame site.

I think Origano is getting better and better. He's resolved the challenges he had with a muddled soundtrack, and all the dialogue is crisp, clear, and easily understood. I also think the humor is stronger than before, especially now that he's grown the plot with a rival gameshow.

The Achiever 3 - Going Down is definitely the strongest episode of the series, and my hat's off to Origano. He also gets props for not succumbing to the natural double-entendre from the achievement title, which has probably got to be the most linked Achievement in WoW's Trade Chat.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch

A WoW player's guide to microtransactions

by Mike Schramm on Nov 5th 2009 (2 days ago)

Well Blizzard has finally done it. After charging only for out-of-game services like faction changes and character customization, with the release of in-game pets on the Blizzard store, they've finally moved on to selling virtual items for real money. And there's a word, dirty in the mouths of some, that's floating around that some of you may not have heard or understood before: microtransactions. We wouldn't blame you -- some of our own staff didn't even know what they were just a little while ago. But with the decision to sell in-game items for straight cash, Blizzard has entered the fascinating and treacherous world of microtransactions. And if you're going to follow them off into this world, you might as well at least know what they're all about.

And so, we're here to help. Whether you've never heard of microtransactions before, you're convinced that they're the devil and that Blizzard has grown too greedy for their own good, or you can't wait to open up your wallet and get a Pandaren Monk to follow you around, let's take a second and look at the history of the microtransaction model, what it means that Blizzard made this decision, and what might happen to the game in the future.

Filed under: Items, Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Economy, Making money

One Boss Leaves: Three bosses enter, 16 stay

by Lisa Poisso on Nov 5th 2009 (2 days ago)

Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. This season's bosses come from the five-man instances of Wrath of the Lich King.

Your favorites are back! Readers voted this past week to bring back three combatants who hadn't made it through the second bracket in this season of Two Bosses Enter. Earning fresh berths as the battles continue are:

Loken (Halls of Lightning), 401 votes
King Dred (Drak'tharon Keep), 380 votes
Ley-Guardian Eregos (The Oculus), 167 votes

Fans of Eck the Ferocious landed just short of earning the little gorloc another bid, bounding in with 162 votes. Join us after the break for a complete list of fourth-bracket matches in this season of Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Features, Lore, Bosses, Two Bosses Enter, Wrath of the Lich King

← Previous Page | Next Page →

Breaking news Feed

Hot Topics

Put WoW.com headlines on your site
Follow WoW.com on Twitter
Find us on Facebook

Upcoming Events

Event	Date
Darkmoon Faire (Terokkar)	11/1 - 11/7
Call to Arms: Arathi Basin	11/6 - 11/9
Call to Arms: Eye of the Storm	11/13-11/16
Call to Arms: Alterac Valley	11/20-11/23
Pilgrim's Bounty	11/22-11/28
Call to Arms: Warsong Gulch	11/27-11/30