wow archivist

All posts tagged wow archivist

Suggested Reading: Of help for LFR, gender bias, crowd control, the Pandaria campaign, and more

Posted by Peter (Devee) on October 18, 2013
Posted in: Suggested Reading, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

A Counter-Intuitive Idea For Tanks in LFR, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 10/16/13.

Rohan notes that there’s room for bad healers or DPS in LFR but not tanks. He speculates that increasing the number of tanks (while keeping encounters tuned for two) would make tanking more forgiving and possibly yield more people queuing as tanks. It’s a great idea.

An Alternate Explanation for Gender Bias in Healing and Tanking, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 10/8/13.

Here’s another fantastic piece by Rohan. He provides an alternate explanation on gender bias in which he speculates that women prefer to stay at range while men prefer melee. It’s interesting.

Crowd Control & Diminishing Returns, Lore, World of Warcraft Forums, 10/11/13.

If you’ve wondered what CC shared diminishing returns, this great thread has you covered.

Know Your Lore: A brief summary of the Pandaria campaign, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 10/9/13.

This is a fantastic summary of what’s happened in Pandaria.

Reputation in review: Pandaria, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 10/14/13.

A consideration of the different reputation experiments in Mists of Pandaria.

Know Your Lore: The fate of Garrosh Hellscream, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 10/13/13.

Nothing new, but interesting look at why things happened the way they did.

Spec and Talent design likely to remain unchanged in 6.0, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 10/15/13.

If you read the article title, you don’t really need to read the article.

WoW Archivist: Spells we’ve lost, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 10/11/13.

An examination of spells that have been removed. I’m ready to lose more.

Suggested Reading: Of lore speculation, Garrosh Hellscream, faction identity, and much more

Posted by Peter (Devee) on August 23, 2013
Posted in: Diablo III, Game Mechanics, Lore, Mists of Pandaria, Reaper of Souls, Role-Playing, Story, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

What If Paladins Had Stayed Alliance-Only?, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 8/19/13.

I love this. The Alliance story was the story of their paladins. What if paladins had stayed Alliance-only and shaman had stayed Horde-only? What if Death Knights had been given to the Horde, and monks to the Alliance? It’s an interesting article.

Thoughts on Garrosh Hellscream, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 8/14/13.

Why do the orcs want to kill Garrosh? Why do players hate Garrosh but like Sylvanas? Rohan thinks that in lore, the orcs in general aren’t turning on Garrosh. As players, we like Sylvanas because she’s “all cool and calculating” while Garrosh “is a thug.” Players are more likely to identify with Sylvanas.

Window Shopper, Prinnie Powah, That Was an Accident!, 8/14/13.

Be careful with whom you /flirt.

Patch 5.4, flexible raids, dailies and more with Tom Chilton, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 8/16/13.

Chilton’s discussion of the Timeless Isle and Blizzard’s pull away from dailies are particularly interesting.

Patch 5.4 confirmed for release on September 10th, Adam Holisky, WoW Insider, 8/21/13.

I’m glad we have a little more time to Ahead of the Curve: Lei Shen for raid team members who missed our kill.

Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: The Dark Below, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 8/18/13.

Speculation on what The Dark Below could bring.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Lore Speculation, Neinball, BlizzPro, 8/14/13.
Reaper of Souls Lore Speculation Part 2: The Usual Suspects, Neinball, BlizzPro, 8/16/13.
Reaper of Soul [sic] Lore Speculation Part Three: Eternities of Conflict, Neinball, BlizzPro, 8/19/13.
Reaper of Souls Lore Speculation Part Four: Oh, The Places We’ll Go, Neinball, BlizzPro, 8/20/13.

Reaper of Souls might have been unveiled, but I still think these speculation articles are great.

Diablo III Expansion Speculation, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 8/15/13.

Rohan’s wish list includes paladins, necromancers (or maybe druids), a no-trade, no-AH mode, and the ability for hardcore characters to become normal characters upon death. I think the no-trade, no-AH mode would be nice, although Blizzard would never do it, and the hardcore change would be great.

What If: Cult of the Mechanical, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 8/15/13.

Rossi explains how awesome it would be if we had an expansion focused on Gelbin Mekkatorque embracing technology and shunning the divine.

Old Enemies: OOC Epilogue, Anna, Too Many Annas, 8/15/13.

Even if you haven’t been reading this story, this is an interesting article about “assumed RP.” I didn’t really know anything about this, but it was a fascinating read.

Will we see an ability purge?, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 8/14/13.

If we’re going to continue to get new abilities every expansion, an ability purge seems important to me.

This epic crafted Frostsaber has ridden off with our hearts, Elizabeth Harper, WoW Insider, 8/15/13.

This is so cute!

Diablo 3 to get new features, fore free, in pre-expansion patch, Adam Holisky, WoW Insider, 8/22/13.

No surprise here. Changes to the core mechanics will happen even if you don’t purchase Reaper of Souls.

WoW Archivist: WoW’s first legendary quest line, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 8/16/13.

A retrospective on the first legendary quest line, the series to obtain Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker.

Know Your Lore: A Precarious Position Part 1 – Horde, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 8/14/13.

What will happen to the Horde after the Siege of Orgimmar?

Suggested Reading: Of the trinity, Hellscream, hatred, neutrality, and more

Posted by Peter (Devee) on August 8, 2013
Posted in: Other MMOs or Related Games, Suggested Reading, Titan, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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.

Suggested Reading: Of the in-game store, pay-to-win, statistics, weapons, legendaries, nostalgia, and warlock utility

Posted by Peter (Devee) on July 11, 2013
Posted in: Suggested Reading, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 6 Comments

World of Warcraft to sell experience buff and more in confirmed in-game store, Samit Sarkar, Polygon, 7/9/13.

Huge news in my opinion.

Thinking about the in-game store, TyphoonAndrew, TyphoonAndrew’s – Eye of the Storm, 7/10/13.

TyphoonAndrew doesn’t seem too pleased with the buffs being sold.

#245 A word of warning to Blizzard about Microtransactions, Spencer Nozell, Be MOP, 7/10/13.

Spencer cautions Blizzard about microtransactions, using Valve’s TF2 as an example.

Enough With the WoW P2W* Hysteria!, Balkoth, Balkoth’s Word, 7/10/13.

Balkoth thinks people need to calm down and that the news about microtransactions aren’t a big deal. I disagree.

Choosing Statistics to Evade the Argument, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 7/9/13.

Just because someone uses statistics to back their argument doesn’t mean the argument they’re rebutting is wrong.

WoW Archivist: WoW’s 20 greatest non-legendary weapons, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 7/5/13.

Andrew examines the coolest non-legendary weapons.

WoW Archivist: WoW’s 20 greatest non-legendary weapons, part 2, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 7/9/13.

Andrew finishes his look at some cool weapons.

Patch 5.4 PTR: Legendary spell effects for all (druids included), Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 7/8/13.

If you want to see what our new legendary will look like, take a look!

The living game and the end of nostalgia, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 7/8/13.

It’s okay to miss the past, but don’t be blinded by it.

Do warlocks bring too much utility to a raid?, Sarah Pine, WoW Insider, 7/8/13.

I kind of think they do, but I hope it’s not removed. That utility is important, and I like the flavor that it comes with warlocks.

Suggested Reading: Of talent trees, variable group sizes, the Curse of Flesh, order and balance, patch 5.3, and more

Posted by Peter (Devee) on May 23, 2013
Posted in: Suggested Reading, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Levelling [sic] and Talent Trees, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 5/20/13.

Rohan thinks we should bring back talent trees with talents every level for leveling purposes. However, he proposes that at max level, you have every talent, but the talents give the abilities that a class gets while leveling currently. This would make it simply a way of choosing what you get first while leveling. It’s a great idea!

Variable Group Size, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 5/19/13.

Another interesting idea, but one that’s likely more difficult to implement.

Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: The Curse of Flesh, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 5/121/3.

What if the Curse of Flesh was a way for the natural Azeroth to assimilate the Titan’s external creations?

Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: Celestials, Ancients and Aspects, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 5/19/13.

Anne posits that the Ancients and Celestials are Azeroth’s natural response and balance to chaos and the Old Gods. This is a great article, so please read it!

5.3 Escalation Patch Notes, Rygarius, World of Warcraft Blog, 5/20/13.

The official patch notes.

Patch 5.3 PvP changes, Olivia Grace, WoW Insider, 5/21/13.

I’m just getting annoyed at all the changes now.

All-orc clan leader offers fierce perspectives on RP, world PvP, and Garrosh, Lisa Poisso, WoW Insider, 5/9/13.

These are true orcs!

Know Your Lore: Gul’dan, Doomhammer, and the nature of the Horde, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 5/21/13.

Garrosh and Doomhammer are more alike than you might think.

The false memory of WoW’s difficult past, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 5/10/13.

Was Vanilla WoW more difficult or just more annoying?

WoW Archivist: Launch classes’ 9 biggest aggravations, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 5/10/13.

If you weren’t sure just how much better the game is now, give this article a read.

Suggested Reading: Of going AFK, dungeons and scenarios, WoW being easy, and more

Posted by Peter (Devee) on March 20, 2013
Posted in: Suggested Reading, World of Warcraft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

How 5 minutes AFK cost one WoW player 476,000 gold, Elizabeth Harper, WoW Insider, 3/19/13

After leaving his computer for five minutes, a man returns to find that his son spent 476,000 gold on pets on the AH.

Dungeons versus Scenarios, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 3/17/13.

In this articles, Rohan compares dungeons and scenarios. He considers loot rewards and design time among other aspects. He makes some great commentary.

Dungeons versus Scenarios, Part II, Rohan, Blessing of Kings, 3/18/13

The follow-up to his previous post.

Draztal ends the “WoW is too easy now” argument in a long and beautiful post, Adam Holisky, WoW Insider, 3/18/13.

Draztal basically explains that the game is completely different now. His post is worth reading. However, I do want to point out that Holisky repeatedly says the read the whole article even though it’s long. It’s not long, but this tells you something about our attention spans.

A guide to looting the Troves of the Thunder King, Anne Stickney, WoW Insider, 3/16/13.

If you’re struggling in the scenario, give this guide a read.

WoW Archivist: 11 moments from WoW’s history that should become scenarios, Scott Andrews, WoW Insider, 3/15/13.

Scott has some interesting ideas, but I can’t say I agree with all of them. I should write my own post on the subject.

Feathermoon Horde players organize massive cross-realm RP event, Lisa Poisso, WoW Insider, 3/15/13.

This sounds like a really cool RP event. It’s happening today, so if you can make it, go check it out!

What if all raids were end game raids?, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 3/15/13.

Rossi considers what the game would be like if all raids were for the current max level. It’s an interesting idea, but I doubt it’ll happen.

War is All Hell: The use of moral ambiguity in Warcraft, Matthew Rossi, WoW Insider, 3/14/13.

War is full of moral ambiguity. Do you allow many to die to save a larger number? WoW seems to lack this in its leaders.

Advanced Video Settings: From Grayscale WoW to Vulcan Blood, Adam Holisky, WoW Insider, 3/18/13.

If you’d like to play around with your graphics, this could be interesting information.

Suggested Reading: Of moms, 5.2, dailies, babies, Varian, Garrosh, Linken, and more

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

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!

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.