cynwise

All posts tagged cynwise

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

Posted by Peter (Devee) on March 14, 2013
Posted in: Suggested Reading, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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.”

Suggested Reading: Of patch 5.2, game concepts, DDO, D3, and more

Posted by Peter (Devee) on March 7, 2013
Posted in: Diablo III, Other MMOs or Related Games, Suggested Reading, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Five reasons patch 5.2 will pull you back into WoW, Elizabeth Harper, WoW Insider, 3/6/13.

Harper provides a nice summary of 5.2 content.

Patch 5.2 official patch notes, Adam Holisky, WoW Insider, 3/5/13.

If Harper’s article isn’t enough information for you, this might be for you.

On the Broken Battleground Scaling of 5.2, Cynwise, Cynwise’s Warcraft Manual, 3/7/13.

Cynwise looks at how battleground scaling has only made balance worse in the lower-level brackets.

Diablo 3, the Auction House, and Efficiency, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 3/2/13.

Rohan discusses the dangers of increasing efficiency too much. He also claims that there shouldn’t be shortcuts a game’s “central fun.” It’s a great idea. It also reminds me of some tweets I saw by Bennett (@bfod) who said “well, until they charged me money to skip over it, I wasn’t thinking of playing the game as being ‘grind’” and “since they’re charging money to skip it, I know it is grind. Even the developers think of it as grind. Playing it is a penalty.” He goes on to say “here’s how it works-if you pay to play more, you’re seeing play as being valuable. If you pay to play less, you’re thinking of it as a grind” (2/27/13).

Know Your Lore: Jaina Proudmoore and the Kirin Tor, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 3/3/13.

Wondering what’s up with Jaina lately? Then pay attention to the game you pay to play! Or read this.

Know Your Lore: Aethas Sunreaver and the founding of the Sunreaver Onslaught, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 3/6/13.

This guy got totally sweet this expansion. Yup.

The Decline of Rogues, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 3/3/13.

Rohan has some ideas on why rogues are on the decline.

Secret Areas of Warcraft: Where developers go to play, Sarah Pine, WoW Insider, 2/28/13.

Secrets always fascinate me.

What does legendary really mean?, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 2/28/13.

What legendary means has been changing.

Eberron and beyond: Seven years of Dungeon and Dragons Online, Justin Olivetti, Massively, 2/28/13.

Olivetti looks back at DDO.

Suggested Reading: On avoiding endgame, expectations, cities, the Emerald Dream, 5.2, and more.

Posted by Peter (Devee) on January 24, 2013
Posted in: Suggested Reading, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Thunderforged Items and Loot Incentives, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 1/23/13.

Will thunderforged items boost 25-man raiding? Rohan doesn’t think it’ll be enough.

On Why I’m Not Level 90, Cynwise, Cynwise’s Warcraft Manual, 1/22/13.

Cynwise has plenty to do in WoW despite not hitting 90.

The 300 Stat Food Question, Matticus, World of Matticus, 1/21/13.

How much can a GM expect from raid members?

The Metaphorical Tale of Two Cities, Spencer Nozell, Be MOP, 1/21/13.

Do the capitals of Orgrimmar and Stormwind and their changes reflect their respective factions?

Roleplaying the mundane side of the Horde, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 1/19/13.

Mundane? Not at all! Anne explores the political landscape of the Horde.

Mists of Pandaria is our Emerald Dream expansion, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 1/17/13.

Mists of Pandaria explores the same themes the Emerald Dream expansion would have, but the Emerald Dream expansion wouldn’t have worked.

Patch 5.2 PTR: Reputation gain changes, Matt Low, WoW Insider, 1/17/13.

In 5.2 we can champion a faction through the reputation interface and gain reputation with that faction from your first dungeon and scenario of the day! Woo!

WoW Archivist: Many memes, handle it, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 1/18/13.

Explanations of some of the many memes from WoW. Now where’s my moose?

Elder charms only apply to 5.0 raids in Patch 5.2, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 1/23/13.

New items, Mogu Charms of Fate, will take their role for the 5.2 raid.

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

Posted by Peter (Devee) on August 30, 2012
Posted in: Game Mechanics, Glitches / Secrets / Hidden Things, Guild Wars, Mists of Pandaria, The Old Republic, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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.

Suggested Reading: Of Theramore, The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, free-to-play MMOs, and Mists

Posted by Peter (Devee) on August 3, 2012
Posted in: Guild Wars, Suggested Reading, The Old Republic, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

I’ve been a bit late getting this out, so there’s more than usual.

Theramore Tourist Information Guide, Bravetank, 7/26/12.

This hilarious tourist information guide for Theramore will explain why it’s a great place to vacation and totally safe.

The Hidden Sting of a Personal Spaceship, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 7/18/12.

Rohan explains how personal spaceships sound cool and work well while leveling; At endgame when players are traveling often, they just slow players with a abundance of loading screens.

Operations in The Old Republic, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 7/29/12.

A nice stroll through “operations,” which are to TOR what raids are to WoW.

‘Guild Wars 2’ and the death rattle of the subscription game, Emily Gera, Polygon, 8/1/12.

Polygon interviews ArenaNet’s Chris Lye about subscriptionless MMOs and Guild Wars 2.

The Old Republic Goes Free-To-Play, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 7/31/12.

When TOR goes free-to-play, leveling and questing will be unrestricted. Flashpoints and warzones will be limited per week, and operations will only be for subscribers. Rohan’s going to continue playing through class stories but will turn to Mists of Pandaria for a raiding fix.

FarnVille in World of Warcraft? WoW Insider’s first look at The Tillers, Dawn Moore, WoW Insider, 7/30/12.

Dawn examines The Tillers, the new faction responsible for your personal farm. I’m excited.

The OverAchiever: FAQ on pet battles and early achievements, Allison Robert, WoW Insider, 8/2/12.

You might want to check this out before jumping into pet battles.

Tactical Graveyard Control at Arathi Basin Nodes, Cynwise, Cynwise’s Warcraft Manual, 7/19/12.

If you want to perform well in Arathi Basin, you have to control graveyards. Cyn’s articles are always wonderfully informative.

Resurrection Vectors in Strand of the Ancients and the Problem of South Graveyard, Cynwise, Cynwise’s Warcraft Manual, 7/25/12.

This is a lot like the previous entry I mentioned except that it’s about one the worst battlegrounds rather than one of the best (my opinions).

New Mists of Pandaria Battlegrounds: Silvershard Mine, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 7/31/12.

If you’re as excited about this new battleground as I am, check out this guide.

WoW Archivist: Strat 45 — the original challenge mode, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 7/27/12.

A nice look at Strat 45 (especially for those who didn’t run it when it was current).

Lonesome George immortalized in Mists of Pandaria, Robin Torres, WoW Insider, 7/26/12.

When the turtle Lonesome George died, so did his sub-species. In his memory, he’s been added to WoW as Lon’li Guju.

Mists of Pandaria raids will have staggered release, none available at launch, Dawn Moore, WoW Insider, 8/1/12.

The first raid of the tier will release one week after Mists launches, and the final two of the tier will release four weeks later. I think this is a good change that puts people on more equal footing. (Of course, I’m too slow to be helped by this.)

Mists of Pandaria Beta: Druids get new default travel form, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 7/20/12.

This news is a couple weeks old now, but I love the new stag travel form!

Blog Azeroth: Starstruck

Posted by Peter (Devee) on July 9, 2012
Posted in: Blog, Blog Azeroth Shared Topics, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Every week, Blog Azeroth proposes a Shared Topic for World of Warcraft bloggers to discuss. This week’s topic was proposed by dragonray of Azerothian Life.

Are you starstruck by anyone? Does someone in the community respond to a post or a tweet and get you all speechless because they actually responded? Is there anyone you are waiting to have respond directly to you? Is there someone that you would like to chat to, but are too chicken? Am I the only one who puts other bloggers on a pedestal?

“Starstruck” seems like a strong term, as does the description. I suppose you could say my answer is then “no,” but to a lesser extent, sure.

Having someone I admire talk to me is nice, but it’d be nicer for them to respect me like I respect them. For example, I love the writer John Scalzi. He’s replied to me a couple times, but that’s only exciting for a moment. It would truly be exciting if he respected me for something I did or followed my work. If it turns out he’s a big fan of this blog, that’d be different.

Outside of WoW, there are the former Joystiq Podcast bunch – Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann, Justin McElroy, and Griffin McElroy. Within the WoW community, there’s Dawn Moore, healing priest columnist at WoW Insider and bloggers like Matticus. I was excited when I noted that Olivia Grace addressed my comment in her post on PVP keybinds by making another post. (Other people had the same comment as me, and that’s not to say she wasn’t planning on doing a similar post anyways.)

It’s exciting when someone I read is reading my work. Now there are a few blogs that I read that are following me after I was introduced to them through Blog Azeroth, but I wasn’t reading them previously. There’s also some that I was reading for a while that started following my blog. For example, seeing repgrind in my follower list in WordPress is fun.

When Cynwise first commented on my blog, I was pretty excited, and he follows too. Whether or not he pays my blog much attention, it means that at one point he read something I wrote and considered it worth following. That’s pretty cool.

It really comes down to wanting to be values, I think. If my mom reads something I wrote and tells me I like it, well, that’s nice, but it doesn’t mean what I wrote was actually any good. Having someone whose writing I admire like my work means a whole lot more.

Last week’s topic was proposed by frinka.

What is the nicest thing another player has ever done for you in-game?

I enjoyed the story on Harpy’s Nest about how she got Benediction. I wish I had it! A lot of people had great things to say about their guildies, including Crash!