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The Queue: Ghost city

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:00:00 EST

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky (@adamholisky) will be your host today.

The next minigame that Blizzard should put into WoW needs to revolve around catching ghosts. Why? Because Ghostbusters.

Lars asked:

Will there be a World First or Server First achievement for the first Panda or Monk to level 90?
And if so, do we know what will disqualify such an attempt? I'm thinking of heirlooms and Deck of Rogues/Mages/etc...

Continue reading The Queue: Ghost city

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Around Azeroth: An army of fun

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

If one were interested in rallying an army of minions to take over the world, a gang of punk gnomes and a Murkablo may not be the best choice. No matter how inspiring your speeches on the streets of Stormwind are, the moment you turn your back, they'll be off drinking the Azerothian equivalent of Everclear and grape juice and looking for very small goth ladies. (Thanks to Ortiz of Extirpation on Ravenholdt [US-A] for the screenshot!)

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

Want to see your own screenshot here? Send it to aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com. We strongly prefer full-sized pictures with no UI or names showing. Include "Azeroth" in the subject line to ensure your submission dodges email spam filters; if you'd like to be credited, also include your name, guild and realm.

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Last Week in WoW: Error 37 edition

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 EST

The big Blizzard news this past week, of course, is that the Error 37 boss dominated just about every Diablo III player, preventing them from even logging into the game. Blizzard issued a mea culpa for the issues, and to be fair, the servers seem a lot more stable as of this writing.

Don't think WoW's been letting its sister franchise hog the spotlight, though. Mists of Pandaria development does continue apace, including a few new beta builds, and we got all the news on what's changed and what's new. Downtime today is from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. PDT, so you should have some time to read up.

Hot news and features

We have a quick rundown of five things to watch out for in the Stormstout Brewery.
Matticus takes a look at the new Shado-Pan Monastery dungeon.
Check out some new voice emotes for male pandaren.
We take a look at some of the newest hunter pets in Mists of Pandaria.
Healers, rejoice! Spirit gear may make a comeback in Mists.
Check out Wowhead's preview of Townlong Steppes, a new Mists zone.
Engineers get some cool new toys in Mists.
Archaeology has seen some improvements in the beta, including improved digsites.

Continue reading Last Week in WoW: Error 37 edition

Filed under: Realm Status, News items

Last Week in WoW: Error 37 edition originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breakfast Topic: The best NPC conversations in the game

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:00:00 EST

Blizzard has increasingly programmed NPC conversations into the game as a means of adding flavor to the world and personality to the characters with whom you interact, and some of them are just amazing. In the classic game, these conversations started off very simple, with Stormwind children running around driving everyone crazy with arguments over which misbegotten whelp had stolen the other's doll or something like that. In Outland, you could catch performances of stand-up comedy in the World's End Tavern in Shattrath. By Wrath of the Lich King, mortally wounded NPCs insulted each other from separate bunks in Crusader's Pinnacle, and major lore figures argued about interfaction strife at the Argent Tournament. But I think it's tough to argue that Cataclysm hasn't been a million times better.

For my money, it's tough to beat the flavor conversations you tend to hear in goblin outposts (yeah, I've been on a goblin kick lately), including the one above, which occurs in the aftermath of the Azshara quest Mystery of the Sarcen Stone. Finding blood elves and goblins together is a recipe for comedy either way -- the two races could not be more different -- but this is what happens when the blood elves' preening sense of history runs headlong into the goblins' morally questionable pragmatism.

What's your favorite flavor conversation in the game?

Filed under: Breakfast Topics

Breakfast Topic: The best NPC conversations in the game originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 22 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3 things the Black Market Auction House needs to succeed

Mon, 21 May 2012 20:00:00 EST

The Black Market Auction House seems to be a controversial topic. Some players love the idea, while some players utterly detest the idea with every ounce of their being. Regardless, the theory behind the Black Market Auction House is a solid one. Removing gold from the WoW economy is something that is desperately needed in the days of Auction House kings, in order to balance everything out. If the Black Market Auction House works, it'll even out player gold to a reasonable level, keeping items on the regular Auction House at reasonable prices.

And for those who spent the tremendous amount of time it takes to amass their fortunes, it means that they finally have something to spend their reward on, something tangible and -- let's face it -- something pretty cool. In expansions past, we've only had one or two really major gold sinks to speak of, whether crafted mounts, or really useful mounts purchased from a vendor. Once those mounts were purchased or crafted, there was a vast sea of nothing for people to spend that gold on.

But the potential for abuse runs pretty high with this thing. And as I pondered the potential side effects of the Black Market Auction House, I realized there are certain things that really need to be in place to make it work effectively.

Continue reading 3 things the Black Market Auction House needs to succeed

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Mists of Pandaria

3 things the Black Market Auction House needs to succeed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mists of Pandaria: 'What has changed?' makes class changes more palatable

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:00:00 EST

One of the sharpest double-edged swords in Blizzard's arsenal is the constant iteration to class and play design that comes with each World of Warcraft expansion. On the one hand, players like innovation and new mechanics and spells to keep their favorite class fresh. On the other hand, players could reject the changes as too severe or too different from the class they originally set out to play, as was the case with Alex Ziebart and myself with paladins in Cataclysm. It's a risky move to change up the core mechanics of a class, and the introduction of the "What's New" window helps streamline this occasionally daunting issue.

New and old players alike will benefit greatly from the "What has changed?" tab. Simply open up your spellbook and click on the last tab at the bottom. You'll be greeted with a new screen giving you the run down on some of the biggest changes to your class coming in Mists of Pandaria.

Continue reading Mists of Pandaria: 'What has changed?' makes class changes more palatable

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Mists of Pandaria: 'What has changed?' makes class changes more palatable originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW Moviewatch: Ninja Raiders

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

There's a subtle thing in Diablo III that's a welcome relief from PUGs in WoW: you get your own loot. The other person can't even see your loot. While that's a pain in the neck in a coordinated group, it's awesome to avoid troublesome loot ninjas. There may even be a bright, joyous future where loot ninjas are a thing of the past.

Now's the time, therefore, to enjoy that legendary piece of machinima called Ninja Raiders. One of the most famous parody songs WoW has seen, Ninja Raiders is so excellently performed, wondrously animated, and tone-perfectly scripted that it'll get stuck in your brain for a week. Enjoy it now. Won't be too long before the idea of a ninja raider doesn't have much relevance.

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 email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

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WoW Moviewatch: Ninja Raiders originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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5 things you need to know about the Temple of the Jade Serpent

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:00:00 EST

So, last time on 5 Things You Need to Know, we took you on a rollicking, barrel-rolling, beer-spewing adventure through the Stormstout Brewery. Many laughs were had at the adorable kitty-esque bosses, many a hammer was clicked, fruit and vegetables were hurled, and much drunken japery was had by all.

If the Stormstout Brewery was the chirpy cheerleader, then the Temple of the Jade Serpent is the emo sister, the one with the funky hair and the slightly offbeat jewelery. This is the Daria to Stormstout's Quinn. (Am I showing my age by referencing retro MTV cartoons? You bet I am!)

So just like last time, this is definitely not a full, step-by-step guide (but of course, we already did one of those for you). This is a set of simple facts that will arm you with just enough knowledge to tackle this second dungeon with the panache we expect of our dashing, well-read audience.

Let's get on with it!

1. You can go either right or left at the start. You start in a room with some quest givers, and in beta, the eminent Flaskataur, Esq. fulfills all your needs for glyphs and Tomes of the Clear Mind-- and frankly, your needs for tauren in adorable hats. From there, you have two corridors leading to the first two bosses through some trash. You can go either way. After killing whichever boss you kill second, you will be guided via a ramp to the next stage of the dungeon. I reckon right is easier than left. You may disagree. After you've killed whichever side you start with, you'll need to go back from whence you came and do the other one.

Continue reading 5 things you need to know about the Temple of the Jade Serpent

Filed under: Mists of Pandaria

5 things you need to know about the Temple of the Jade Serpent originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Engineering

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 EST

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first-born to him.

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- if you're not having fun while playing World of Warcraft, you're doing it wrong. Sure, raiding is great, and so is having pockets full of gold. But if you don't find either of those fun, then why bother? Find something that is fun.

Fun, of course, is what the engineering profession is all about. It's certainly not about money, after all -- engineers make very few things that non-engineers can use. But while you're struggling to make money in MoP, you'll at least be getting a lot of new perks to enjoy while doing all that struggling. There are cool new pets, new conveniences, new gear, a new world-altering device, and even new mounts -- yes, mounts with an s!

Exciting times are most definitely ahead for engineers. So strap on your goggles and have a robot roll up your sleeves -- we're going to dive right in.

Continue reading A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Engineering

Filed under: Economy, Gold Capped

A First Look at Mists of Pandaria Professions: Engineering originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Weekly Podcast Roundup: May 14-20, 2012

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:00:00 EST

Every Monday evening, WoW Insider brings you a long list of WoW podcasts that were published the week and weekend before. If you don't see your favorite World of Warcraft podcast listed, just let us know in the comments. Be sure to leave a link to it, and we'll pick it up next week.

All podcasts and content belong to their owners. WoW Insider is not responsible for what you hear, and some of the content may not be safe for work.

All Things Azeroth Preparing for Hell on Sanctuary
BlizzPlanet The Week of Warcraft Episode 5
Hunting Party Podcast Episode 130
The Instance Stay a while, and listen
Legendary Black Market Controversy
Twisted Nether Blogcast Not So Ancient

Continue reading Weekly Podcast Roundup: May 14-20, 2012

Weekly Podcast Roundup: May 14-20, 2012 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drama Mamas: The case of the needy guildies

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:00:00 EST

Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm.

Welcome to this week's episode, in which Lisa compares me to baked goods. I think I'm more like a Disney villain, but benevolent. You be the judge.

Dear Drama Mamas

I'm the new gm of a social guild. As such we find that we get a lot of players who are new to the game entirely. We try and help the out but lately we have a number of new people who seem to be taking the "we are happy to help" and running it for all it's worth.

I'm a firm believer is looking for the solution yourself and then asking if you don't find anything. Particularly with resources like wowhead, noxxix, wow insider and blogs for every other thing you could ever hope for.

Continue reading Drama Mamas: The case of the needy guildies

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Guilds, Drama Mamas

Drama Mamas: The case of the needy guildies originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officers' Quarters: How to earn respect as a teen officer

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 EST

Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook, available from No Starch Press.

Teenagers as a whole have a terrible reputation in online games. In WoW, they are blamed for everything that's wrong with the community. People say they have no patience, they don't know how to play the game, they ruin chat channels with mindless chatter, and they're selfish, whiny, lazy, disrespectful, and entitled. Certainly some of the people who fit these accusations are teenagers.

However, not every teenager acts this way, and a good portion of the people who do are actually adults. On the internet, unfortunately, perceptions tend to win out over reality. This week, a teenaged officer asks how she can earn the respect of her peers.

Hello there Scott-

Our guild currently is going through some major issues at the moment when it comes to who shall be running what when it comes to what is occuring in the guild. ... About a month or two ago, our guild leader ... decided to call it quits for the time being, our guild was going downhill at that time, and people starting to abandon us. We reasonably thought that sooner or later this guild was gonna expire sometime in the future, and that nothing could stop it.

However, it came to the point where some of our officers and such managed to pull back the guild together through emails and messages spread across multiple medias. Our guild, in my mind, finally has settled back into what it was before, however without the guild leader to guide us. All of us (the officers) decided to take the role of leader. ... Things were going pretty smoothly.

Continue reading Officers' Quarters: How to earn respect as a teen officer

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Officers' Quarters: How to earn respect as a teen officer originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blood Pact: Demonic Leaping to new heights of awesomeness

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:00:00 EST

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill is disappointed that moonkin are allowed to ride mounts, but not metamorphs. That's just not fair.

I admit: I don't play demonology. As much as I'm a maestro at affliction, corruption gliding from my fingertips, I just fall apart when it comes to mastering the demonic arts like Illidan. So on the one hand, I don't really know where demonology is supposed to be heading in Mists of Pandaria, apart from Metamorphosis being just more awesome now.

On the other hand, I don't have the old habits to rewrite over. I'm new blood, much like the revamp of warlocks in Mists will certainly attract people who don't play the class now. I'm perfect for testing how easy the spec is to pick up for newbies.

I can tell you this: I was having fun on beta demonology. All you have to do is Demonic Leap with me beyond the break.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Demonic Leaping to new heights of awesomeness

Filed under: Warlock, (Warlock) Blood Pact, Mists of Pandaria

Blood Pact: Demonic Leaping to new heights of awesomeness originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Queue: Run Boy Run

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:00:00 EST

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

Go to iTunes and buy Woodkid's new track, Run Boy Run. There is not a man alive who manages to get my adrenaline pumping via music better than he does. You will not regret your purchase. If you don't have Iron, get that one, too.

naterybird317 asked:

When do you think Mists of Pandaria will be released? What was being tested in the Cata beta at the time of the official announcement? I ask because I wonder if at the time of the announcement were beta testers testing 85 content or were they still level capped between 80-85? I feel like we're getting really close to the official announcement.

Continue reading The Queue: Run Boy Run

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Queue

The Queue: Run Boy Run originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Around Azeroth: No coins in the fountain

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

"Curse you, Sylvanas!" writes submitter Revets of Sutekh Orbitas on Eonar (US-H). "Your coin would be the one to plague me as the last I need for my achievement. I swear she took that coin with her to the afterlife. This is the final straw! No more Mister Nice Tuskarr." Cursing Sylvanas is kind of redundant, since she's already cursed, isn't she?

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

Filed under: Around Azeroth

Around Azeroth: No coins in the fountain originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mists of Pandaria Beta: Finally, a portable reforger

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:00:00 EST

Deep in the heart of Kun-Lai Summit, at The Grummle Bazaar, lies a vendor named Uncle Bigpocket who, at some point, will sell the Grand Expedition Yak, this expansion's version of the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth. It's a beautiful beast, but what caught my attention were the vendors on the side of it. One of them is named Cousin Slowhands, a NPC who seems like he probably sells water and food and the like. The second vendor, on the other hand, is named Mystic Birdhat, Arcane Reforger.

Many players have posted on the forums (we've even floated the idea), pleading for some type of portable reforging tool. Well, it seems Blizzard was listening! While the price for the mount would appear to be about 60,000 gold, the possibility of account-wide mounts makes this purchase worthwhile. Hopefully, someone in your raid or dungeon group has some deep pockets!

[Thanks to Runek for the heads up!]

It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

Filed under: Mists of Pandaria

Mists of Pandaria Beta: Finally, a portable reforger originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breakfast Topic: What's the coolest glitch you've seen?

Mon, 21 May 2012 08:00:00 EST

The average beta tester in the Mists beta sees fun glitches all the time, some cooler than others. The recently rectified flying glitch in the beta was one of the best; I loved swimming through the air and getting a rare bird's-eye view of the new continent. Of course, it's all fixed up now, and there's no more air swimming to be had. Frankly, the current glitch where Earth Shield isn't consumed by damage is way less fun!

Being a PvPer, I've occasionally experienced the glitch in Ring of Valor where you fall through the floor of the arena and are immediately portaled back up to near your starting room. I even have one occurence on video, which is fun, with the Skype track paying homage to my immense confusion.

The header image is also a PvP glitch screenshot, believe it or not, from my PvPing priesty friend, the lovely @ameurling. She was doing some 2v2 in Dalaran Sewers and got feared through the wall into what she dubbed the Twilight Zone. This is what Azeroth looks like beyond the conventional world -- a gray space with an expansive, star-speckled sky. And I reckon this is a pretty darn cool glitch. Unfortunately, Alex couldn't get back into Dalaran Sewers -- you win some, you lose some!

So tell me, what glitch have you seen, experienced, heard of, or heard tell of? Is it cool? Is it cooler than Alex's accidental portal from Dalaran Sewers into the Twilight Zone? Tell me all about it.

Filed under: Breakfast Topics

Breakfast Topic: What's the coolest glitch you've seen? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shifting Perspectives: The potential return of Insect Swarm for balance druids

Sun, 20 May 2012 20:00:00 EST

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat, bear, restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our DPS edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. This week, we go hunting for mosquito nets.

A few weeks ago, I talked about the impact of removing Insect Swarm from balance druids' toolboxes. I was pretty positive about the change; in my view, Insect Swarm was mostly superfluous, as the times you would use it independently from Moonfire were few and far between. Removing it was a welcome simplification to the rotation. Several commenters took an opposite view, however. To them, removing IS (along with some of the other changes) took things too far, and made the spec boring to play.

Well, if you were one of those commenters, you're in luck. Take it away, Ghostcrawler!

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: The potential return of Insect Swarm for balance druids

Filed under: Druid, (Druid) Shifting Perspectives

Shifting Perspectives: The potential return of Insect Swarm for balance druids originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Know Your Lore: State of the Horde, 2012

Sun, 20 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

It's good to be Horde. All over the world of Azeroth, the Horde is conquering new territory, claiming new land and expanding far, far beyond the few holdings it had in vanilla World of Warcraft. Back then, the Horde merely eked out an existence, defending small outposts where it could. Sylvanas and her Forsaken stayed by and large in Tirisfal Glades, with a tiny outpost in Silverpine and a slightly larger one in Hillsbrad Foothills. The tauren stayed largely confined to Mulgore, with a few settlements to the south and southeast. The trolls took refuge in Orgrimmar, with no real land to call their own save one tiny village on the coast and another small outpost in Stranglethorn Vale.

Now, the Horde is branching out in a major way. Sylvanas has dominated the forests of Silverpine and the rolling farmlands of Hillsbrad and is working her way east through the Western Plaguelands. The trolls have taken back the Echo Isles, and the orcs of Orgimmar are claiming new land to the north and the east, moving in a tidal wave of barbaric conquering. The Horde is flush with the glorious victories in Northrend, eagerly seeking more territory. In Cataclysm, it's very, very good to be Horde.

Or so popular opinion states.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: State of the Horde, 2012

Filed under: Lore, Know your Lore

Know Your Lore: State of the Horde, 2012 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mists of Pandaria: Male pandaren voice emotes revealed

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:00:00 EST

Throughout the Mists of Pandaria beta, players have been commending Blizzard on just how much emotion you can see in pandaren emotes and animations. These guys actually get into what's going on, as opposed to most of the current player races, which lack much facial rigging at all.

That emotion extends to the male pandaren voice emotes, which were added to the game files in the latest Mists beta patch. MMO-Champion's video, embedded above, displays all of these emotes quite well. Who knew pandaren were so good at begging for mercy?

Filed under: Mists of Pandaria

Mists of Pandaria: Male pandaren voice emotes revealed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Queue: Magic man

Sun, 20 May 2012 14:00:00 EST

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today.

Damn, dude, twins? My wizard knows how to party.

HobMeadows asked:

What would be the fastest, most efficient way for a solo guildmaster to level their guild from 1 to 2? Does anyone have experience with this and if so, what was your process?

I'm almost at 2 full bars (out of 5), and inviting a bunch of people to my guild is not a fair option because I'll be moving off of my server literally within moments of hitting level 2. I've heard battlegrounds are a fast, efficient method, but can anyone make some suggestions?

Provided you're level-capped, quests and dailies are your best bet to make it there as fast as possible. High-level BGs give good rep, but questing is more efficient. Cap out your daily quest turn-ins every day, and you should be at level 2 before you know it.

Continue reading The Queue: Magic man

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The Queue: Magic man originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday Morning Funnies: Premature

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:00:00 EST

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

This week, we've got comics about the upcoming expansion, Mists of Pandaria, as well as a couple of comics about Blizzard's latest release, Diablo III, that weren't to be missed from your usual favorites.

Know of a WoW-related comic that recently updated after a hiatus that isn't on this list or a new one that has never been featured? Let me know in the comments section!

Looking for Group #565 and #566
Guilded Age Chapter 16 Page 19, 20, 21, 22
From Draenor With Love The Lord of Terror
Away From Reality Resting the Wyrm and Implausible Denial

Continue reading Sunday Morning Funnies: Premature

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Sunday Morning Funnies: Premature originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Around Azeroth Beta Edition: Bovine protective services

Sun, 20 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

OK, I'll admit this looks like it's about to become a gruesome reminder for Azerothian parents to always secure the door to your hovel when leaving for a day's adventuring. But in fact, this vicious tiger is simply a Pandarian social worker, here to remove an innocent baby tauren from its hookah- and hooch-contaminated home and reassign it to some loving adoptive NPCs who actually spend some time at home. (Thanks to Tillamooke of The Kalimdor Inquisition on Maelstrom [US-H] for the screenshot!)

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

Filed under: Around Azeroth

Around Azeroth Beta Edition: Bovine protective services originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breakfast Topic: What are the telling details you love in the game?

Sun, 20 May 2012 08:00:00 EST

I wasn't sold on the Bilgewater Goblins initially. When they and the worgen were announced in the run-up to Cataclysm, I had to wonder if there was any compelling reason to play what felt like a green gnome over a badass werewolf. (Yes, I was young and foolish in those days.) That changed quickly when I hit the beta and found them to be a hopelessly endearing race despite (or perhaps because of) their fairly amoral approach to life. I loved the little details in their towns, from the empty Chinese take-out boxes scattered around their inns to the little dinghies that fly underpants in place of flags.

Credit where credit's due -- most of this is the work of the Blizzard props team. These folks are also the reasons that Gilneas is so magnificently creepy, with its creaky windows, flapping sheets, and papers drifting across lonely towns. What little details do you particularly enjoy about the race you play as a main?

Filed under: Breakfast Topics

Breakfast Topic: What are the telling details you love in the game? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Weapons of Lore: Rhok'delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers

Sat, 19 May 2012 20:00:00 EST

For hunters in vanilla WoW, it was the pinnacle of weapons -- a bow with incredibly powerful stats. But Rhok'delar wasn't without its issues, mainly concerning the ability to change the bow into a staff but not being able to use both staff and bow at the same time. This was eventually changed so that hunters could have both Rhok'delar and its counterpart, Lok'delar, Stave of the Ancient Keepers, after completing the Rhok'delar quest chain. And if that weren't enough, hunters also could obtain the Ancient Sinew Wrapped Lamia, an at the time unheard of 24-slot bag perfect for carrying around all the ammo a hunter could ask for.

Though all three of these items were only of epic quality, like Benediction, Rhok'delar represented a legendary test of skills for the player who tried to obtain it. Although Benediction only had one event for priests to frantically heal through, Rhok'delar contained four of these trials, all of which had to be completed without even a pet to assist. It was a brutal test of shooting, traps and hunter cunning, but those who completed the chain were richly rewarded.

And it all began with one unassuming petrified leaf, found in the fiery depths of Molten Core.

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Filed under: Lore

Weapons of Lore: Rhok'delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 19 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Care and Feeding of Warriors: The fury of Diablo 3

Sat, 19 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Care and Feeding of Warriors, the column dedicated to arms, fury and protection warriors. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host.

The past week I have been doing two things in terms of my video game time. I have been tanking heroic Dragon Soul, and I have been playing a barbarian in Diablo III. And frankly, they bleed together, because although World of Warcraft's story draws directly from the Warcraft RTS and setting, WoW had Diablo in its DNA. Don't believe me? Roll a paladin in Diablo II, then go take a look at what paladin talent trees looked like when vanilla WoW launched.

So for the past week, as I contemplate the Mists of Pandaria revamp to talents and specializations, the huge rage redesign, and how the class is going to work, I keep casting covetous eyes onto the barbarian I keep rocking faces on. Now, Diablo III and World of Warcraft are different games with different design philosophies. WoW tries a lot harder for balance between competing classes because it has more classes. D3 has five classes, and no two of those classes does what it does the same way. The witch doctor and the wizard and demon hunter all fight from range, the barbarian and monk both fight in melee, but how they do these things is thoroughly different, and D3 doesn't have the tank/DPS/healer trinity to consider. You chug potions, you spec for survival, and you blow stuff up.

Still, there are things I really want to see Mists steal from Diablo III. Like, say, its version of Revenge. That thing is sweet.

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Filed under: Warrior, Analysis / Opinion, (Warrior) The Care and Feeding of Warriors, Mists of Pandaria

The Care and Feeding of Warriors: The fury of Diablo 3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 19 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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5 great group roleplaying hangouts in Mists of Pandaria

Sat, 19 May 2012 16:00:00 EST

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.

Are you ready for Pandaria? I don't think I can really repeat it enough: Pandaria is beautiful. The locations are gorgeous, and the amount of detail that went into simple things like leaves and trees is just phenomenal. Even if I don't have any quests to complete, simply running around and soaking in all of the scenery while snapping as many screenshots as possible is a lot of fun, particularly since there are hidden shrines with bits of lore all over the place now!

Since last week's jaunt into the wilds of Pandaria seemed to go over well, I decided to point out a few more places that are suitable for roleplay. Only this time, we're going to take a look at some really large areas where guilds or groups could hang out or large events could take place. Group events can be a lot of fun, even if they're a little harder to coordinate. Having the perfect backdrop for an event makes it even more fun -- and Pandaria is full of perfect backdrops.

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Filed under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)

5 great group roleplaying hangouts in Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 19 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arcane Brilliance: Going back to the future with Alter Time

Sat, 19 May 2012 14:00:00 EST

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. This week, we're going to jump into the not-so-distant future -- specifically, the day we hit level 87 in Mists of Pandaria. We're going to need 1% of our base mana, some plutonium, and 1.21 gigawatts, and we're going to need to be moving at 88 miles per hour.

Mages are getting a fair number of new or reworked spells and talents in Mists of Pandaria, but arguably the most intriguing of the bunch is Alter Time. Continuing along with the time -manipulation theme already established by spells like Time Warp, upcoming talents like Temporal Shield, and the ~~time chicken~~ tier 13 armor set, Alter Time allows us to transport our mages back in time to the ancient era of six seconds ago.

It's an incredibly interesting mechanic that works in practice about how I expected it to in theory, which is both good and bad.

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Filed under: Mage, Analysis / Opinion, (Mage) Arcane Brilliance, Mists of Pandaria

Arcane Brilliance: Going back to the future with Alter Time originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 19 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Queue: wumFWIPbloob

Sat, 19 May 2012 12:00:00 EST

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mathew McCurley (@gomatgo) will be your host today.

That's the sound that a resplendent chest makes when you open it in Diablo III. Seriously. Think about it.

BKellyCS asked:

I was discussing with some guildies this evening the "key points" in WoWs history (like personally feeling that Ulduar was the closest to raiding perfection with a variety of bosses, events, lore, layout, the hard mode switches etc) - what personally do you think the biggest opportunity Blizzard can take forward from Cataclysm is? What 'thing' do you think worked really well and reckon we'll see more of? What do you reckon they've learnt the most from and will endeavour to improve/never-EVER-let-that-happen-again?

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Filed under: The Queue

The Queue: wumFWIPbloob originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 19 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Around Azeroth Beta Edition: Spin class

Sat, 19 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

You really have to feel sorry for the denizens of Hellfire Peninsula. They have to live in possibly the most hated zone in the game, the first expansion zone, the one that everyone has already slogged through five times and where most adventurers can recite the quest text by heart. And whenever something new and interesting comes on through -- like, say, a spin-kicking, bipedal panda -- they don't even have a chance to ask questions before the newcomer kills them, skins them and moves on. (Thanks to Nganga of Pact of War on Silver Hand [US-H] for the screenshot.)

Gallery: Around Azeroth 3

Filed under: Around Azeroth

Around Azeroth Beta Edition: Spin class originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 19 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breakfast Topic: The game's most famous rare

Sat, 19 May 2012 08:00:00 EST

I was taking my main through the new set of Northern Barrens quests recently when I found myself running across rare spawn mobs a lot. This in itself isn't all that surprising; you'll run across rare spawns pretty commonly whenever zones aren't occupied by eager levelers. I saw Elder Mystic Razorsnout, Swiftmane, and for the first time ever, Humar the Pridelord. Humar is well known as a popular hunter pet, and until Wrath, he was the only black lion in the game.

And that got me to thinking: What is the game's most famous rare spawn? If I had to settle on one, my vote would be the Time-Lost Proto Drake, which has driven legions of players to the nuthouse in an endless struggle to find it, let alone kill it. Close behind would probably be Loque'nahak, another famous hunter pet. Curiously, it feels like most of the game's really well-known rare mobs are actually fairly recent additions to the game, although people who played during classic WoW might disagree.

Filed under: Breakfast Topics

Breakfast Topic: The game's most famous rare originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 19 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW Insider's Weekly Recap, featuring TradeChat's Panser

Fri, 18 May 2012 20:00:00 EST

Welcome to the all-exciting, weekly news recap featuring Panser of TradeChat! In our weekly recap, we'll be tackling the hottest news and whatever other kickin', rad items have come our way throughout the last week. This week's topics include:

Better digsites for Mists of Pandaria
Potential new warchiefs
Diablo III transmog outfits
Blizzard cleans up GAME's mess
Real-life WoW abilities

Make sure you subscribe to TradeChat and check back every week for more Weekly Recaps!

Filed under: News items

WoW Insider's Weekly Recap, featuring TradeChat's Panser originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:30:00 EST

Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!

Diablo III, man. Diablo III.

Diablo III Diablo III Diablo III Diablo III, Diablo III. Diablo 3? No, no, no: Diablo III.

So, Diablo III -- What aRe yoU Playing? This week's Diablo III: What's your preferred Diablo III class?

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Filed under: WoW Insider Business, Diablo 3

WRUP: Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 Diablo 3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mists of Pandaria Beta: Engineering gets more fun toys

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:00:00 EST

Engineers, keep getting excited for Mists of Pandaria, because we've just got even more toys to make our favorite profession unequivocally still the best profession. With the recent beta patch, we've seen some new datamined recipes for engineering goodies such as Blingtron 4000, a fabulously wealthy robot companion who gives people gifts, and the Depleted-Kyparium Rocket, a new rocket mount built by engineers.

The real treat, however, is the Thermal Anvil, a new item that drops a portable anvil and forge at the engineer's feet. Yes, you read that right -- engineers are going to be able to deploy a portable anvil.

But wait, there's more. Did you want to slap some Watergliding Jets on your shoes to make swimming a breeze? What about a brand new Wormhole Generator for the Pandaria continent? Maybe you've like to pair a gathering profession with your engineering to make the best use of some brand new Mist-Piercing Goggles? Engineers, Blizzard has heard our call for more fun stuff and it is delivering. I can't wait to see what's next. Engineering -- best profession!

Filed under: Mists of Pandaria

Mists of Pandaria Beta: Engineering gets more fun toys originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WoW Moviewatch: Don't Make Me Get My Main

Fri, 18 May 2012 18:00:00 EST

Don't Make Me Get My Main by Legs and Cranius won first prize in the BlizzCon 2009 machinima contest. It's hard to believe that was nearly three years ago; time flies when you're ganking newbs, I guess.

With Mists of Pandaria looming around the corner like a Defias thug with bad intentions, it's time for us all to remember: That newb you gank today could actually be a PvP superstar. Choose your targets wisely.

Filed under: WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Don't Make Me Get My Main originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dungeon Mastery: Shado-pan Monastery

Fri, 18 May 2012 17:00:00 EST

Kun-Lai Summit is host to the Shado-pan Monastery. In Mists of Pandaria, you'll undoubtedly get a chance to experience and help rid the instance of Sha influence. Megan and I decided to check the place out and see what the deal is. We teamed up before when she ~~carried me~~ kindly tanked for me in the Stormstout Brewery. Like last time, I healed on my holy priest, Megan tanked on her druid, and we were accompanied with two hunters and an enhancement shaman. Your group needs to be at minimum level 87 in order to queue.

The video above is a little under 50 minutes long. We would've been able to move quicker if I hadn't been in combat all the time.

Yeesh. Even the Matticus needs a drink from time to time.

Gu Cloudstrike

Cloudstrike is the first boss your group will challenge. You'll run into Cloudstrike outside on a plateau just as you leave the first chamber. It's a three-phase encounter involving Cloudstrike and a flying serpent.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Mists of Pandaria

Dungeon Mastery: Shado-pan Monastery originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Lawbringer: Blizzard and Valve settle on DOTA

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:00 EST

Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Mathew McCurley takes you through the world running parallel to the games we love and enjoy, full of rules, regulations, and esoteroic topics that slip through the cracks.

One of the highest-profile disputes in the gaming industry has come to a settlement agreement. Blizzard has agreed that it will back off from Valve's use of the DOTA trademark for commercial use, while Blizzard retains noncommercial use of the term for modders, map creators, and the community revolving around the game. In addition to the commercial/non-commercial separation, Blizzard has officially changed the name of its upcoming Blizzard DOTA to Blizzard All-Stars, so expect a new branding push soon. At the end of the day, I am still bewildered as to why we're fighting over DOTA, an acronym and phrase that comes packed with baggage and various connotations.

Back in 2010, Rob Pardo told Eurogamer essentially that trademarking DOTA was a slap in the face to the community that created the genre, and for a company that built a great deal of its success on mods, it seemed genuinely out of place for Valve. While everything is always about money, sometimes things are about money just a little less. With its own products announced using the DOTA name and former-DOTA developers having joined S2 Games and Riot Games to create Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends respectively, the MOBA genre is healthy.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Lawbringer

The Lawbringer: Blizzard and Valve settle on DOTA originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mists of Pandaria Beta: Horde and Alliance Incarnation moonkin forms

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:00:00 EST

Things just got real in the Mists of Pandaria beta, folks. With the most recent patch, the new moonkin forms for the druid talent Incarnation have hit MMO-Champion. I don't really have much to say other than Blizzard just might be opening a can of worms here for druid players. Armored moonkin forms actually look pretty awesome.

Druids, run with this one. While Incarnation is going to have its own special models, attaching armor to the existing moonkin form might have proven easier than imagined. Could druids get the option in the future to augment their forms with their own armor choices? Not yet, but Incarnation's forms are already shaping up to be pretty exciting for druids. Now, to dust off my druid ...

Filed under: Druid, Mists of Pandaria

Mists of Pandaria Beta: Horde and Alliance Incarnation moonkin forms originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Addon Spotlight: Mailbag 5

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:00:00 EST

Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same.

As the Mists of Pandaria beta rolls along (lots of monks are on the beta -- it's a joke about rolling), almost all of the zones are open to testing and nearing the level cap. Soon, very soon, Blizzard will flip that switch and we will be able to enable addons and it will be glorious. Until then, there are many questions about the current version of World of Warcraft (Cataclysm) that many people would like to have answered.

If you've got a question, answer, addon recommendation, complaint, invoice, or other correspondence, you should email Addon Spotlight's amazing author Mathew McCurley at mat@wowinsider.com. Through that email, you will reach me and my eyes. Let's get going.

In honor of Diablo, (H)el(l)ephant

Our first email comes from reader Jmaximus, who sounds like a totally badass paladin on the Thunderhorn server. Any name with Maximus in it is going to intimidate me to some degree. Anyway, Jmaximus has an addon recommendation for the lot of you, so thank him, because this one is pretty cool. Elephant!

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Mailbag 5

Filed under: Add-Ons, AddOn Spotlight

Addon Spotlight: Mailbag 5 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phat Loot Phriday: Simple Hand Crossbow

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00:00 EST

When last we left our heroes, they'd hopped in a motorcycle to ride into the sunset -- and take a boat to Pandaria. However, they lack a map and live in a microcosm that represents the overall Blizzard community, so they cannot simply walk into Pandaria. Also, click click click click click click click click ...

"I didn't think Panda-land would be so dark," Throgg commented. His eyes narrowed beneath the ridged line of his immense brow. "I don't mean young person and black jeans dark. I mean like actually hard to see. Did we take the wrong boat?"

The pair walked along a curved, narrow path. Oddly, each side of the path was closed off with walls and vines. They couldn't travel far from the walkway. "Still can't get the bike started. We're hoofing it."

Throgg pursed his lips as he look around. Suddenly, he unlatched the enormous battle-axe from his back and shouted. "To arms! Undead ahead, and they're attacking!"

Lolegolas let loose a battle cry and reached for his bow. With a practiced growl, he grasped where it should have been and pulled out a Simple Hand Crossbow. The blood elf pulled up short immediately. "Wait, what in Metzen's name is this?"

The orc cocked his head to the side. "They make crossbows that small? When did you get that?"

"Is it just me, or do those undead look funny?" Lolegolas said.

"We're not in Pandaria," Throgg said. "We really need to go back the way we came."

Lolegolas sighed as he turned around, ignoring the undead behind them. "This is great. We're losing an entire week to this nonsense."

Throgg blinked as they returned to the boat. "Uh. Where's Spot?"

Phat Loot Phriday brings you the scoop on some of the most ... interesting ... loot in the World of Warcraft, often viewed through the eyes of the stalwart Throgg and indelible Lolegolas. Suggest items you think we should feature by emailing mikeg@wowinsider.com.

Filed under: Phat Loot Phriday

Phat Loot Phriday: Simple Hand Crossbow originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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