Blood spirit II

Blood spirit

Exalted by 40: My little undead pony

When I originally started playing World of Warcraft, there was absolutely no way to get a cross-faction mount. That didn't stop the text on the tool-tip from taunting me though, saying that the Forsaken mounts were available to Orcs and Trolls and not just Forsaken. Of course, as anyone who started the game at the very beginning can tell you, exalted with any of the basic factions was a vague future idea that they said would eventually be implemented. When the cross-faction cloth trade-ins came into the game, I started slowly but surely forking over every scrap of Runecloth I had to the Orc cloth NPC. I eventually managed to hit Exalted with Orgrimmar, and was able to buy a riding Wolf for my Troll Rogue. But between 40 and 60, I spent quite a long time bouncing around on a Green Raptor, wishing I'd been able to get either a Skeletal Horse or Wolf. (As they took the Ivory raptor I had really wanted out of the game altogether, I certainly wasn't buying an epic raptor!)

Flash forward to Zangarmarsh, and my baby Blood Elf Rogue. Coming up through the ranks, I thought it would be fun to see if it was actually possible to get a cross-faction mount by no later than level 40 -- and if so, just precisely what it would entail.

The first thing I'd note for those interested in doing this for themselves, Blood Elves are the only race other than Forsaken that starts at friendly with the Undercity. In my case, this made things much easier from the word go. Now, I could have run over to the Forsaken starting area and done quests there from level one on up, but I really didn't want to miss out on the rep rewards with Tranquillien. So in my case, I leveled from 1-20 with Tranquillien, then bounced around doing content here and there until level 38, at which point I settled into the rep grind in earnest.

Starting in the Forsaken newbie area, I tore through the quests from Deathknell to Tarren Mill in easy stages over a few days. (For anyone who has a serious session planned, this can easily be done in a day at level 38, but that blasted real-life thing kept me popping AFK.) I originally intended to try to get to exalted solo, without instancing. Sadly, I wound up about 6k shy at the end, despite having run every arc across the level 1-39 content that I could find that would give Forsaken rep. So I headed to the instances, and chased down every ounce of Forsaken quest rep from Ragefire Chasm to Scarlet Monastery. Sure enough, that last bit of instancing put me over the top. I also managed to make most of the two levels I needed in running around and completing these quests so that when the time came, I was only about 1000xp from level 40. A few kills later, and I was ready to go.

From there it was simply a run back to Brill to get my Little Undead Pony. Thus, a cross-faction mount by no later than 40 via non-holiday regular questing can definitely be done. In the case of Blood Elves and Forsaken, it will require not only chasing all non-instance rep that you can get in the old world, but also at least one run through each of the lower instances to get quest completions as well. (Although I will say that at 38, you can easily stealth run Razorfen Kraul as a Rogue to get the drop for Going, Going, Guano, and I'd imagine Druids would be able to as well.) For races that don't start as friendly to one another, I'd imagine it would be harder to attain by 40, but with the rep available in other instances like Uldaman, Zul'Farrak, and Razorfen Downs, it shouldn't be too terribly difficult to attain shortly thereafter.

Have any of you managed Exalted with a different faction by level 40 just because you wanted that cross-faction mount as your first one? (Or perhaps, you disliked your racial mount that much!) Any tips or tricks that you could give to others looking to get a cross-faction mount by level 40?

(by:wowinsider)
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Breakfast topic: Best voiceacting

For the longest time, I didn't even know that WoW bosses actually had voices. It took halfway through BWL for me to finally turn on the sound and listen to what my enemies were saying, and I discovered that some of the voices were actually pretty decent.

There are concurrent threads on the US and EU realm forums about the best raid boss voice acting. There are a lot of different nominees, but some recurring mentions include:

C'thun's whispers: "Your friends will abandon you," "you are already dead," "your heart will explode" ... always creepy, especially when you think it's someone in Vent, ask around, and then worry that you're beginning to hear voices.
Shade of Aran: "I am not some simple jester! I am Nielas Aran!" Good, heartfelt acting.
Anub'rekhan: "I hear little hearts beating. Yesss... beating faster now. Soon the beating will stop." The guy sounds like a serial killer.
Ragnaros: He's got the most parodied voice out there. Someone in my guild used to macro Rag and Domo's entire conversation and scare the living hell out of us by making us think we started the event. The best one I've seen so far, though, is "Raganar-Os: The only cereal with a molten core! Two scoops, Executus, two scoops! Taste the flavor of Sulfuron! By fiber be purged!"
What's your favorite boss voice in the game?


(by:wowinsider)
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Limited Edition WoW Diorama #1 available for pre-orders now

The Limited Edition Diorama that was announced at ComiCon is now available for Pre-Order from Sideshow Collectibles.

You can only see it unpainted at this time, the number to be made is not finalized and the estimated ship date isn't until at least April 2008, but at least you won't be charged until it ships.

The price is $299.99 and as Amanda reported will include a netherwhelp accessory.

The sculpture depicts a battle between a Blood Elf Rogue and a Draenei Paladin based on artwork displayed at the last BlizzCon.

From Sideshow's site:

Each piece is hand-cast in high quality polystone, individually finished and hand-painted to exacting standards. The World of Warcraft Diorama is complete with a hand-numbered individual edition number on the bottom side of the base.

Important note: There is a 1 piece limit per household, billing address, shipping address, credit card and/or person. So buying one to touch and another to keep in the box will be a bit tricky.

[via Blizzplanet]

(by:wowinsider)
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"Leaked" FAQ for WotLK

Personally, I'm pretty convinced that the forthcoming expansion is going to be called Wrath of the Lich King, mostly because the title was listed by the USK, the German equivalent of the ESRB (see update 2 here). Now we have what purports to be a leaked FAQ for the expansion, allegedly briefly visible on wow-europe.com last night. I don't know whether this is real or not, but it's certainly interesting. Here's my favorite part (my emphasis):


The death knight is the first hero class in World of Warcraft; once certain criteria are met, players will unlock the ability to create a new death knight character, which will begin play at a high experience level.

That answers the question about people having to grind the new class up through the levels. I only wish it was available for all classes. According to this FAQ, the DK will be available to both Alliance and Horde, and will "combine damage-dealing and tanking" as far as party role goes. A few other points of special interest (summarized):

Level cap raised to 80
New profession: "Inscription allows the player to permanently enhance their spells and abilities and to create mysterious items of power to use, trade, and sell."
New and existing characters will be able to customize dances (??) and hairstyle
Northrend will be about as big as Outland and will take about as long to complete.
Players will fight Arthas himself
The full FAQ is after the cut, or you can read it at the source here (scroll down for English). Please do remember to take this with a grain of salt.

FAQ for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

What are the features of the new expansion?

Wrath of the Lich King builds on the rich foundation established in World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade, providing a wealth of new content for players to explore. The harsh, forbidding continent of Northrend, home of the Lich King and his undead minions, will be uncovered on the world map, and to contend with the new challenges found there, players will be able to advance to level 80, acquiring potent new abilities and talents along the way.

In addition, Wrath of the Lich King will introduce the death knight hero class to World of Warcraft. Once certain criteria are met, players will be able to create a new death knight character, which will start at a high level. Furthermore, player-vs.-player battles will reach a new level of intensity with the addition of siege weapons and destructible buildings, not to mention a new battleground. There will also be an abundance of new quests, dungeons, monsters, items, and recipes -- as well as a new profession, inscription -- for players to try out. The expansion will include some additional character-customization options for players as well. We'll be going into more detail on all of these features in the months ahead.

How will the death knight class fit into the game?

The death knight combines martial prowess with dark, necromantic energies. Players might be familiar with the death knight from previously released Warcraft games -- most recently, in the campaigns for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and the Frozen Throne expansion, the former paladin Arthas became a death knight and wreaked havoc across Azeroth and Northrend before fusing with the spirit of Ner'zhul to become the Lich King. The death knight is the first hero class in World of Warcraft; once certain criteria are met, players will unlock the ability to create a new death knight character, which will begin play at a high experience level. We're currently exploring various options for how the death knight will play and the types of abilities at its disposal, and we'll be revealing more information about this new class as we get further along in development.

Will the death knight have any abilities from previously released Warcraft games?

The way we portrayed death knights in past Warcraft games is certainly a source of inspiration, but we are still determining how best to capture that feel within the mechanics of World of Warcraft, and haven't made any final determinations on specific abilities.

What role will the death knight play in groups and raids?

In general terms, the death knight can be considered a type of class that combines damage dealing and tanking, but naturally it will have an array of unique abilities as well.

What races will be allowed to play death knights?

We haven't yet made a final determination about which races can be death knights. However, the class will be available to both the Alliance and the Horde.

Will there be additional hero classes in the future?

Yes, we do intend to add more hero classes in the future, but right now our focus is on the current expansion.

What is the story background of the expansion?

Players last visited Northrend in the Warcraft III expansion, when Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner'zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful entities in the Warcraft universe. He now broods atop the Frozen Throne, deep in Icecrown Citadel, clutching the rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge. In Wrath of the Lich King, the greatest champions of the Alliance and the Horde will do battle with the Scourge amid Northrend's howling winds and fields of jagged ice, and ultimately face the Lich King himself.

Will players actually get to encounter Arthas himself?

Players will be skirmishing with the minions of Arthas from the moment they set foot on Northrend. He will be a constant presence as players progress through the expansion content -- which will culminate in a showdown with the dread Lich King himself.

Can you discuss some of the new talents and abilities that will be available from level 70 to level 80?

As with character advancement up to level 70, players will gain access to an array of potent and exciting new abilities and talents as they make their way from level 70 to level 80. However, it's still too early to get into specifics on these.

How long will it take to advance from level 70 to level 80?

We were pleased with the pacing from level 60 to level 70 in The Burning Crusade, and we intend to take a similar approach to pacing character advancement in Wrath of the Lich King. However, the specific amount of time that it will take players to reach level 80 will vary widely based on play style.

What can you reveal about Northrend?

The first area of Northrend we're showcasing is the Howling Fjord, a region of grasslands overlooking massive cliffs at the southeastern edge of the continent. This, along with the Borean Tundra, is the front line of the war against Arthas, and players will come face to face with his minions as soon as they set foot on Northrend. Eventually, as players progress further, they will explore the Grizzly Hills, Dragonblight, and more. We'll be showing off some of these new areas in the months ahead.

What's the level requirement to enter Northrend?

Players of any level who have purchased the expansion can visit Northrend. However, all of the content is designed for players level 68 and up.

How many new dungeons will be in the expansion?

The first dungeon players will enter is Utgarde Keep, which is intended for five players around level 70. Utgarde is inhabited by the Vrykul, a Viking-like race bent on proving their strength to the Lich King, who will raise the most worthy of their warriors to serve him beyond the grave. We intend to provide a variety of dungeons comparable to that in The Burning Crusade and will be revealing more details about some of these in the months ahead.

Do you plan to continue with the 25-player model for raids?

Yes, we've been pleased with the tactics, intensity, and variety of the 25-player raid model, and plan to continue with it.

In what ways will players be able to further customize their characters in the expansion?

In addition to the numerous new character-customization options that will be available with all of the new weapons and armor added by the expansion, we'll be offering some fun ways to alter both existing and new characters with regard to dances and hairstyles, but we're not ready to go into more detail just yet.

What can you reveal about the new profession coming with the expansion?

Inscription allows the player to permanently enhance their spells and abilities and to create mysterious items of power to use, trade, and sell.

What can players expect with regard to player-vs.-player combat in the expansion?

Players will be able to take control of siege weapons and use them to destroy opposing buildings, adding a new layer of complexity to PvP battles. Naturally, we'll be providing some fun places to put these new tools to good use, and we'll be revealing more information about them in the months ahead, in addition to the new battleground content being added.

Can you give a sneak peek at the new recipes and items in the expansion?

There will be hundreds of new recipes and thousands of new items available, but we're not ready to discuss specific examples just yet.

How many zones will be in the expansion?

Northrend will be roughly equivalent to Outland in terms of size and scope.

Will there be any new cinematic scenes?

Yes, our cinematics department is hard at work preparing a new intro movie for the expansion.

Release/Availability

Do you need to own the expansion to play with friends who have it?

There will be many aspects of the expansion that will be available to all players. However, in order to experience certain content, such as Northrend, or be able to play as a death knight, players must purchase the expansion.

Will there be an open beta test of the expansion?

We have not yet determined whether the expansion will require an open beta test. If we do decide to conduct a beta test, details will be posted on the official World of Warcraft website once we've gotten further along in the development process.

When will the expansion be released? How much will it cost?

We have not yet announced a release date for the expansion set. However, we expect to announce further details, including the release date and price, on our community website in the months ahead. Please stay tuned to worldofwarcraft.com for more information.

Will there be a collector's edition?

We have not yet made any determination about whether there will be a collector's edition of Wrath of the Lich King. We'll be announcing details such as this closer to release.

Will a Mac version be available simultaneously with the PC version?

Yes. As with all of our games, Wrath of the Lich King will be compatible with and optimized for both the Windows and Macintosh platforms.

What are the system requirements?

We'll continue to ensure that the game is playable on a wide range of hardware. However, we have not made a final determination on the system requirements as yet.

Will the expansion be released globally at the same time?

We recognize that players throughout the world will be eager to experience all of the new content being added with Wrath of the Lich King, and we will make every effort to release the expansion simultaneously worldwide. However, there's always the possibility that unforeseen circumstances could delay the launch in any given region. We'll share the launch timing with players in each region as soon as the plans have been finalized.

What is the ESRB rating for the expansion?

The expansion has not yet been rated by the ESRB. However, we anticipate that it will receive the same rating that the original World of Warcraft received -- "Teen."
[thanks, Rhys]


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