alex ziebart

Blizzard Watch rises from WoW Insider’s ashes

Posted by Peter (Devee) on February 4, 2015

Posted in: Blog. Tagged: adam holisky, alex ziebart, anne stickney, blizzard watch, elizabeth harper, matthew rossi, patreon, the queue, wow insider. 1 Comment

WoW Insider might be finished, but not all of its staff members are. From its ashes, Blizzard Watch rises. As the name implies, it’ll cover all Blizzard titles, although it’ll focus primarily on World of Warcraft. It seems that Alex Ziebart, Editor-in-Chief of WoW Insider at the time of its closure, is in charge, but that wasn’t explicitly stated. Adam Holisky, Anne Stickney, Matthew Rossi, and Elizabeth Harper are joining him, and they hope to reach out to more people later.

Blizzard Watch is using Patreon to support the site. It’s a crowd-funding site that works a little differently than sites like Kickstarter. With Patreon, you pledge a certain amount per month. Their milestone goals were $8,000/month for full operations, $9,000/month for class columns, $10,000/month for expanded class columns, and $12,000/month for expanded coverage. They quickly reached their first goal and are currently, just a day after opening, hovering near $11,000/month. That’s pretty cool!

One of the first posts (if not the first) was one calling for Queue questions. No post could have made me happier. I love the Queue, and I’m very glad to learn that it’s going to continue to be part of my morning ritual.

Thank you, Blizzard Watch and team, for continuing your great reporting and writing!

Farewell, WoW Insider

Posted by Peter (Devee) on January 30, 2015

Posted in: Blog, World of Warcraft, WoW Insider Breakfast Topic, WoW Insider Community Blog Topic. Tagged: alex ziebart, anne stickney, aol, breakfast topic, dawn moore, fox van allen, joystiq, know your lore, massively, olivia grace, the queue, warcraft, world of warcraft, wow, wow insider. 1 Comment

Alex Ziebart on WoW Insider confirmed today that WoW Insider will cease operations this Tuesday, February 3. This is definitely a sad day. This follows Alexander Sliwinski reporting on a rumor that Joystiq was shutting down on Joystiq itself three days ago. With them goes Massively as well.

WoW Insider was my favorite source of World of Warcraft news. There’s a void now, and I’m not sure how I’ll fill it. There are many other WoW blogs I follow but none like WoW Insider. I’m open to suggestions if anyone has any!

Many talented persons have written for the site, including some of my favorites like Dawn Moore, Anne Stickney, Fox Van Allen, and Olivia Grace (even if the last two weren’t writing for it recently). I wish I was better at using Twitter. I feel like things I might want to read get lost in the never-ending stream, but I’ll follow all the writers regardless.

I’ve written three pieces for WoW Insider too. In my Breakfast Topics, I posed the questions, how do you relationships in game affect relationships in real life, are you a closet reoleplayer, and has your perspective of Azeroth changed over time? I’ve also responded to Breakfast Topics here on Kor’kron 501st. In fact, you can tell how much influence WoW Insider has on me by checking the WoW Insider tag on my blog.

How will I know my lore without Know Your Lore articles? Most importantly, what about the Queue? The Queue is the daily column in which various WoW Insider writers answer questions from the community. It was by far my favorite column. Every morning I check for the Queue, and when it’s not yet posted, I keep checking until it is. It’ll be weird for it be gone.

Farewell, WoW Insider, and thanks for everything.

Revisiting the Trinity, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 8/6/13.

How can you break the role trinity while keeping fantasy tropes?

Your Warchief wants YOU, The Warchief’s Command Board, 8/5/13.

I love this poster. Check it out!

Patch 5.4 PTR: Hellscream’s weapon drops are 90-100 heirlooms, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 8/7/13.

That’s pretty cool!

WoW Archivist: When Blizzard “hated” the Horde, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 8/2/13.

Many people hold the belief that Blizzard loves the Horde and hates the Alliance, but there was a time when the opposite was considered true.

Pandaren levels 1 to 60 as a neutral, not picking sides in the Alliance and Horde conflict, Adam Holisky, WoW Insider, 8/5/13.

Screw the factions!

Know Your Lore: The future of the Alliance, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 8/4/13.

Where is the Alliance going?

Blizzard’s new vision for Titan: ‘unlikely’ a subscription-based MMO, Michael McWhertor, Polygon, 8/1/13.

Titan won’t be subscription-based? Titan won’t be an MMO?

Patch 5.4 pulls WoW Insider team members into Azeroth, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 8/2/13.

WoW Insider’s Matthew Rossi, Anne Stickney, and Olivia Grace will have items named after them in patch 5.4.

WoW 6.0: A case for dual class dual spec, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 8/6/13.

What if you could adopt a spec from another class as your secondary spec? Personally, I hate this idea.

Know Your Lore: The Lessons of the Lich King, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 4/30/13.

What did the Lich King teach us? What did he teach Garrosh?

Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: The curious neutrality of Anduin Wrynn, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 4/28/13.

Just why is Anduin so neutral? Could Onyxia have something to do with it?

Developer Q&A transcript, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 4/25/13.

Lots of great answers here.

Editorial: Gear… GONE!, Adam Holisky, WoW Insider, 4/30/13.

Adam thinks gear should be removed. Most players would 100% reject this. I think it’s an interesting idea, but it wouldn’t fully work. While I don’t want to stress over pieces of gear (yet I do) and I just want to raid, obtaining gear feels satisfying.

Gearing & Guilds .. A New Alternative, Jods, Jods’ Blog, 1/5/13.

Some interesting ideas to gearing. That date seems wrong to me though!

Our favorite ways to die in World of Warcraft, Elizabeth Harper, WoW Insider, 4/30/13.

There are a lot of great ways to die in WoW.

Why head to the Isle of Giants?, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 3/8/13.

This is a great overview of what’s offered on the Isle of Giants.

Blind player Ben Shaw on raiding and WoW for the sightless, Lisa Poisso, WoW Insider, 3/7/13.

If you’ve wondered what Ben Shaw, blind raider, has been doing, read this! (And if you’ve never heard of him, you really need to read it.)

Reconciling PvP and PvE, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 3/11/13.

Rohan if it would have been possible to keep PVP and PVE on the same path, using the same gear. It’d be interesting!

Analysis of the Post-Hotfix 5.2 Battleground Scaling Changes, Cynwise, Cynwise’s Warcraft Manual, 3/13/13.

More information on the funky new battleground level scaling.

Ra’sha <Tender of Sacrifices>, Cymre, Bubbles of Mischief, 3/12/13.

Did you know you can obtain a dagger that allows you to kill yourself? It’s called Ra’sha’s Sacrificial Dagger, and Cymre can tell you more about it.

Oondasta, Cymre, Bubbles of Mischief, 3/11/13.

If you haven’t had the chance to fight Oondasta, reading about it might be good!

#194 First impressions of Stage One and Two of the Isle of Thunder, Spencer Nozell, Be MOP, 3/13/13.

Another look at the Isle of Thunder.

Know Your Lore: Vereesa Windrunner, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 3/13/13.

Why’s that Vereesa Windrunner girl so mad, anyways?

Track your Isle of Thunder to-do list with this handy addon, Sarah Pine, WoW Insider, 3/13/13.

I just installed this, so I can’t yet say how useful it is. Apparently it tracks weekly things on the Isle of Thunder per character so you can know on what to focus.

PvP in Patch 5.2: Gear changes, resilience changes, class changes, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 3/11/13.

Lots of PVP changes.

Around Azeroth: Thunder was his engine and white lightning was his load, Elizabeth Wachowski, WoW Insider, 3/9/13.

I don’t usually share Around Azeroths, but this screenshot was pretty cool.

Spiritual Guidance: Priest gear in patch 5.2 and Throne of Thunder, Dawn Moore, WoW Insider, 3/7/13.

A list of all the gear you’ll be considering if you’re a priest.

Only one week left to get your Winter Squid, Sarah Pine, WoW Insider, 3/13/13.

If you need it, go get it.

The Queue: Hump day, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 3/13/13.

@Dobablo asked, “If white smoke =pope and black smoke = no pope. Then green fire = what?” Ziebart answered, “Felpope.”

Frontiers and Force Projection, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 2/13/13.

Rohan gives a fantastic perspective on frontiers in MMOs in relation to travel time. It’s a great read!

Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: Wrathion’s Gambit, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 2/17/13.

This seems particularly interesting to me. Could Wrathion be trying to rebuild the Black Dragonflight?

Burning Legion begins Russian invasion, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 2/15/13.

Interesting, but the event itself was horrible of course.

Patch 5.2 mounts and where to get them, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 2/18/13.

I want that Direhorn!

New generation comes of age in record-holding long-time guild, Lisa Poisso, WoW Insider, 2/12/13.

The Syndicate have been playing together for 18 years!

Know Your Lore: The strategy and tactics of Garrosh Hellscream, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 2/13/13.

The Horde war machine is led solely by Garrosh Hellscream. How good a military leader is he?

Know Your Lore: The divided Alliance command structure, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 2/20/13.

An examination of the Alliance’s military leaders.

Patch 5.2’s jewelcrafting changes and how to profit, Basil Berntsen, WoW Insider, 2/18/13.

Mooglegem, you better make us some gold!

Server outcast in South Korea rekindles WoW community, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 2/13/13.

A WoW community that’s nice to people? It can’t be.

A Gift of a Fish, Arioch, clearcasting, 2/6/13.

Arioch tries his hardest to give his mom a new pet.

Patch 5.2 Prep: Get ahead of the game, Kristin Marshall, WoW Insider, 1/28/13.

Ensure you’re ready for the patch!

How to get green fire for your Warlock in Patch 5.2, Megan O’Neill, WoW Insider, 2/7/13.

Spoilers abound, but Megan gives us a look at what warlocks will do to get their fel fire.

We don’t need daily quests anymore, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 1/25/13.

I’m all for unlockable content, but I’m not sure I like the daily system tied to reputation. Maybe I should post about this later…

Patch 5.2 honors El’s Anglin’, adds sea monster and new battle pets to fishing, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 1/24/13.

It looks like a new NPC, El, joins the Anglers. Great!

Around Labor and Delivery: Pride and joy, Elizabeth Wachowski, WoW Insider, 1/31/13.

They named their kid Jaina. Seriously.

Around Azeroth: Sweet dreams?, Elizabeth Wachowski, WoW Insider, 1/24/13.

I wish I knew who lived there.

Know Your Lore: The evolution of Varian Wrynn, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 2/3/13.

If you’ve noticed that Varian has changed quite a bit and want to know more about why, give this a read.

Know Your Lore: The genesis of Garrosh Hellscream, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 1/27/13.

If you’re interested in the history of Varian, you’re probably interested in the history of Garrosh as well.

WoW Archivist: It’s a secret to everybody — the Linken quest line, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 2/1/13.

This was a fun quest line, and I enjoyed reading about it even though I completed it.

Roleplaying the mundane side of the Alliance, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 1/26/13.

Even if you don’t roleplay, Anne gives a nice summary of how the Alliance races are feeling.

Funcom wants to feature your music in The Secret World, MJ Guthrie, Massively, 1/29/13.

If only I had musical talent.

Will Patch 5.2 kill PvP twinking?, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 1/24/13.

I’m not sure how it would kill twinking, but I think scaling players levels to the highest level of their PvP bracket is pretty cool! (And scaling in PvP works well in TOR.)

Patch 5.2: Valor and Conquest Points will be reset, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 2/6/13.

Valor converts to Justice, and Conquest converts to Honor. That’s normal. What’s different is that current Valor gear will still cost Valor. Rewards from 5.0 factions will be at a 75% discount and rewards from 5.1 factions will be at a 50% discount. That’s great, but then why take all of our Valor away? I understand the predicament in wanting to ensure people don’t get ahead, but that sucks a little.

Direhorn mounts coming to patch 5.2 as reputation rewards, Elizabeth Harper, WoW Insider, 2/5/13.

Yes, yes, yes!

Bizmo’s Brawlpub & The Brawlers Guild, Pugnacious Priest, 12/17/12.

A fantastic account of what it’s like to be in the Brawlers Guild. A really good read!

Jin’ya & the Sha, Cymre, Bubbles of Mischief, 12/19/12.

I finally learned why my Mindbender looks like a little Sha! In case you don’t know, check out her post for more info and to check out her new loot.

Murdering animals for 5.1 reputation, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 12/19/12.

If you’re working on the new 5.1 factions, make sure you’re doing the optional quests!

Reputation in review: The Dominance Offensive, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 12/16/12.

Here’s a good review of the The Dominance Offensive.

Student artist’s Darkmoon carousel stuns Blizzard, earns internship, Lisa Poisso, WoW Insider, 12/13/12.

Title says it all

Why the Burning Crusade didn’t suck, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 12/14/12.

Last week we learned why BC sucked. Now we learn why it didn’t.

A weekend without WoW, typhoonandrew, TyphoonAndrew’s – Eye of the Storm, 11/7/12.

Sometimes it’s good to take a break.

Over the Haste Cap: What keeps Olympic gold medalist Aries Merritt hurdling raids?, Lisa Poisso, WoW Insider, 11/1/12.

Yes, you can totally win an Olympic gold medal and still be a hardcore raider. Well, okay, probably not you.

Patch 5.1 PTR: Upgrading items with justice and valor, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 11/6/12.

This is going to be very important soon.

Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: When is a well not a well?, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 11/4/12.

What if the Well of Eternity was the remains of a fallen Titan?

WoW Archivist: Blizzard’s hot and cold attitude toward weather, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 11/2/12.

Why are people excited about weather in Pandaria? This might give you a clue.

The economics of perfect gem cuts, Basil Bernsten, WoW Insider, 11/2/12.

If you’re a jewelcrafter and don’t know about perfect cuts, this is important.

Maine’s “World of Warcraft” candidate Colleen Lachowicz appears to win State Senate seat, Adam Holisky, WoW Insider, 11/7/12.

I honestly don’t know a thing about her political opinions.

Around Azeroth: Dragon envy, Elizabeth Wachowski, WoW Insider, 11/3/12.

I just thought this was pretty.

The Terrible Turnip is a pet collector’s best friend, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 10/31/12.

I would like this pet, please.

PVP Gear at 90

Posted by Peter (Devee) on September 14, 2012

Posted in: PVP, World of Warcraft. Tagged: alex ziebart, battlegrounds, gear, PvP, the queue, warcraft, world of warcraft, wow, wow insider. Leave a comment

I recently asked a question in the Queue at WoW Insider that got answered on Wednesday, 9/12. The answer from Alex Ziebart pretty much matched what I was thinking and the answers I got from other WoW Insider readers.

Peter asked:

I want to run BGs when I first hit 90 (and probably while leveling a bit too, I suppose). Will I be using my current PVP gear (what was conquest gear before the patch) when I first 90, or will I be using quest rewards?

You’ll probably want to use the level 90 quest rewards. The iLevel on the new items is a big enough jump over level 85 gear that it’s worth it. Plus all players have built-in damage reduction now, so you won’t instantly die repeatedly in the level 90 stuff.

– The Queue: The monster at the end of this Queue, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 9/12/12.

The reason why I asked was because I was wondering if I should bother enchanting or gemming my newly acquired PVP gear. No, I don’t think I will. I’d rather auction off my remaining mats and get new gear as I quest to 90. I’ll be at a very slight disadvantage at first I suppose, but I’d rather have the gold.

I can’t wait to try those new battlegrounds!

Player memorial scheduled for Guild Wars 2’s Sanctum of Rall server on September 5th, Jef Reahard, Massively, 8/27/12.

Community member Roger “Oldroar” Rall passed away recently. A Guild Wars 2 server has been named in his honor, and an in-game memorial is taking place. If you’re interested, take a look at Massively’s source too.

Warlocks, Trash Your Keybinds, Cynwise, Cynwise’s Warcraft Manual, 8/28/12.

This is actually good advice for every class in my opinion. A new expansion is a time to rethink how you play.

F2P, Subscriptions, Raiding, and Community, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 8/27/12.

Rohan makes some good observations about the current subscription policy for TOR. By making the game F2P but requiring raiders to subscribe, raid leaders can be assured that their raiders are actually committed to the game.

5.0.x and Mists of Pandaria: Holy and Discipline Priest Info, Matticus, World of Matticus, 8/27/12.

Matticus gives a great guide for healing priests in MoP.

What do I know about other classes and specs?, TyphoonAndrew, TyphoonAndrew’s – Eye of the Storm, 8/28/12.

TyphoonAndrew uses humor to show exactly what he knows about other classes. I feel the same way often.

Battle of Theramore scenario to launch Sept. 18, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 8/28/12.

Plenty of time for me to finish Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War.

WoW Archivist: A raid exploit compendium, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 8/24/12.

There’s something really exciting and mysterious about exploits in MMOs. They’re like legends that make me wonder what secrets are hidden within the game.

Around Azeroth: So your guild leader hates you, Elizabeth Wachowski, WoW Insider, 8/23/12.

I absolutely love this outfit and guild banner. So cute.

Patch 5.0.4 release patch notes, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 8/28/12.

Could be important. Who knows?

More Impressions of Guild Wars 2, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 8/26/12.

I thought this was a rather nice description of some elements of Guild Wars 2.

Every Thursday I post a handful of links to articles written within the past week that are worth reading.

Gold Capped: Spirit of Harmony crafting limitations, Basil Berntsen, WoW Insider, 7/2/12.

Spirit of Harmony is a limiting crafting material in Pandaria similar to Chaos Orbs. They drop from random world mobs. This means that people questing will get many more than people who solely raid.

Blizzard wants your Diablo 3 Magic Find feedback, Michael Sacco, WoW Insider, 7/3/12.

Blizzard knows that many people are switching to magic find sets immediately before killing bosses. They’re looking for feedback on alterations to the system.

Mists of Pandaria Collector’s Edition rewards revealed, Alex Ziebart, WoW Insider, 7/2/12.

Title says it all.

Teacher uses SWTOR to connect with autistic student, Justin Olivetti, Massively, 7/2/12.

Another case of the title saying it all!

Mists of Pandaria Beta: The best Brann Bronzebeard appearance ever, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 7/2/12.

Archaeology is getting a lot better in Pandaria! You can “crate” gray archaeology finds rather than selling them. These can then act as currency for items that teleport you to an active dig site, items that randomize the dig site locations, and packages of fragments for any race!

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Blizzard Watch rises from WoW Insider’s ashes

Farewell, WoW Insider

Suggestion Reading: Of the Lich King, Anduin, gear alternatives, and dying

Suggested Reading: Isle of Giants, PVP and PVE, the Isle of Thunder, blind raiding, and more

Suggested Reading: Of the Brawler’s Guild, being sha-touched, the Dominance Offensive, and more

Suggested Reading: Of taking breaks, Olympic gold medals, gear upgrades, the Well of Eternity, and more

PVP Gear at 90

Suggested Reading: Of pre-expansion patches, funny outfits, memorials, and GW2

Suggested Reading: Of crafting materials, D3 magic find, Pandaria collector’s edition, autism, and archaeology

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