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Funcom, WarCry and IGN are proud to offer you a chance to win 1 of 100 Beta Keys to the upcoming MMO Age of Conan. Based on the works of Robert E. Howard, this game offers players the chance to explore the mature and gritty world of Hyboria.
Contest winners will be notified via email on Monday April 28th with instructions on how to get a hold of their copy of the game.
For more information on AoC, check out Age of Conan WarCry and check back regularly for updates on the beta and upcoming launch of Age of Conan.
It's tonight! Flying Lab Software live on our IRC servers to talk about Pirates of the Burning Sea. For four lucky fans, some time cards await in a random draw, and one will get a t-shirt. So stop in at 8:00pm EST to talk to the developers. Here are the details:
In on week's time, we'll have ourselves another developer chat with Pirates of the Burning Sea. This is your chance to talk to the people behind the biggest MMO launch of 2008. The chat is on Wednesday April 9th at 8:00pm Eastern (5:00pm Pacific)!
In the second half of his two part article called "To Be A Hero" (Part One is here), Jonathan Steinhauer gives us more of his personal take on how MMORPGs and how players want to be the center of that universe.
Every other Monday, Steinhauer brings us his design related MMO thoughts in this column.
Another method of achievement is through the use of competitions. Asheron's Call had a story writing contest that generated over a thousand submissions and the top nine were placed in game as actual books you could purchase from vendors. Other contests games have introduced have been as varied as screenshots and cloak designs.
But recognition isn't the sole property of game designers. Many guilds host contests, the most popular being PvP matches. Back when I played AC, my guild setup its own rank structure which awarded members for participation with the prize being different colored robes. Admittedly, player-based fame has the tendency to be more localized, but it does give the opportunity for increased prominence among the fellow gamers that you know the best.
Sean Bulger is back with a new column in his bi-weekly look at issues of community and MMOs. This column focuses on player made content: what's good, what's bad.
As strange as it may seem to some, there are plenty of people out there who enjoy creating things by using parts of the game they play, or by creating something for the game. Even more people like to enjoy those creations - more so the videos in this day of age. This is also something that developers could take advantage of when trying to build a strong community.
This Monday, Jonathan Steinhauer begins a look at a new issue in his bi-weekly column. In "To Be A Hero" asks the fundamental question that we all face when it comes to our time, our darkness and MMOs: why do we play?
Why do we play MMOs (or adventure style games of any sort)? Fundamentally, one would hope, because they are fun. Aside from that, there are a myriad of reasons, but a major one is that it gives us a chance to be heroic in a way we really can't in real life (and if we could, probably wouldn't want to given the massive death rate our avatars suffer). Games give us the chance to be "the hero." Yet how can we truly be the hero in a world where 100% of the world's population are hero-aspirants and each step down the road to renown is identical for everyone?
WarCry is proud to announce that on Thursday March 20th, we'll be hosting the developers of Pirates of the Burning Sea. The event is a chance for fans to get their questions in with the guys from Flying Lab Software in real time. The chat will kick off at 8:00pm EDT (5:00pm PDT).
When: 03/20/2008 8pm EST
Where: irc.chatspike.net 6667 in #WarCouncil General chat will be available in #warcry
Who: The following Flying Lab developers will be on hand.
In the second part of a two part look at The Close Combat Archer (click here for part one), columnist Jonathan Steinhauer looks at the design of this tricky class in MMOs.
In the medieval era, a man who was struck by an arrow in the chest was either dead or severely injured, whereas in gaming, a man who is hit by ten arrows might very well shrug them off and win the day.
What does all this mean for archers? Simply this. The potency of archery is to inflict damage at range before the target can get into melee. But when health is super-inflated to offer the survivability necessary in MMOs it also makes the task of an archer killing its opponent at range almost impossible.
In this edition of "Community Column", Sean Bulger follows on his previous look at pre-made factions with player-made factions and how they relate to community in MMOs.
EVE had its empires: the Amarr, the Gallente, the Caldari, and the Mimnatar (woo!). However, in all reality, these empires were largely background for the game, racial options, and a way to divide up ships for players. The Empires weren't really factions in the sense that the realms of Dark Age were - well, at least not at the time of writing. Instead, EVE focused on the player-created corporations.
Now, if you are a new player to EVE, you may not really realize just how much of an effect on the game that these player corporations have. In fact, many smaller corporations have rather small effects. However, out in lawless space, it is player factions that fight over the control of huge sections of the galaxy and resources in a quest to control space, crush foes, and become rich.
In this edition of Steinhauer's Opinion, Jonathan tells us about the idea of "The Close Combat Archer". This is part one of a new sub-block of articles from him on this subject.
When we play an MMO, much like when we read a book or watch a movie, we expect a certain suspension of disbelief. Goblins and dragons cease to be mythical, and we don't scoff at the idea of a wizard calling firebolts from the heavens. We rarely even wonder how so many forests can support such large populations of bears, wolves, and other carnivorous creatures nor why such animals don't avoid humans but rather charge in with teeth bared. Nor do we question why an enemy village is devoid of any common folk like farmers, craftsmen, or children. And, of course, we never doubt the practicality of the close combat archer.
This week's "Community Column" from Sean Bulger looks at the concept of pre-made player factions in games and how they enhance or effect community.
In light of the current 'political season', so to speak, I would like to take a look at one area of gameplay in MMOs that truly does have a strong impact on player communities: Player factions. Now, when I speak of something like factions, I do not specifically refer to guilds. Rather, factions are groups of players within a game that are, generally speaking, opposed to each other, and/or have some sort of conflict or even more political relations with each other. They are also often encouraged by gameplay.
Many games see aspects of factions such as these within them. Dark Age of Camlot, World of WarCraft, EverQuest 2, Final Fantasy XI, PlanetSide, and even games such as EVE Online and ShadowBane have various types of factions that players can join and/or create.
Jonathan Steinhauer looks more deeply into the phenomenon of level based games in "Breaking the Level Barrier, Part 2". This follows his piece two weeks ago where he first examined this topic.
That's not to say that step learning doesn't exist. But it is generally found in activities were you either can or can't do a thing. For example, in the quest to fly, the Wright Brothers didn't gradually fly. The first time occurred in a single instant and once that was achieved, they could repeat the feat (although I would argue that the gaining of knowledge that enabled flight was still slope-learning). Some growth in life tends to be a blend, such as studying mathematics. The gaining of knowledge and skill in math occurs on a learning curve, but there are "steps" along the way, such as basic addition and subtraction, Trigonometry, and Calculus.
Miss out on BlizzCon last year? At the event, everyone received a Murloc card, which gives them a special treat in World of Warcraft and access to a future Blizzard game's beta. Today, we have five of them to give away. Enter to win this prize before February 13th.
Sean Bulger's community management driven column this week is called "Emergent Gaming". He looks at the upcoming trends in gaming and how that relates back to the community.
This could appear in several different forms, one of which is known as emergent gameplay. Emergent gameplay has been a popular phrase lately. Effectively, it is players doing something with a game that the game wasn't actually designed for. Races in MMOs, creating pictures with gold in Lineage 2, or using grenades to launch vehicles or players in the air in spectacular ways in FPSs, are all prime examples of this.
In fact, there are some games out there, and in the works, that are built entirely upon the principle of emergent gaming. They aim to give players tools, as opposed to game systems, with which they can create their own gameplay.
Next Wednesday, January 30th, WarCry and EA Mythic will host a Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Developer Chat. This is your chance to find out the answers to questions on our Most Anticipated Game of 2008. The chat will take place next Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. The connection details are:.
When: 01/30/2008 8pm EST
Where: irc.chatspike.net 6667 in #WarCouncil General chat will be available in #warcry
It appears a lot of the racials are getting changed to be more beneficial and hopefully balanced.OrcHardiness now reduces the duration of stun effects...
In an effort to deal with the inevitable faction imbalances in the new outdoor PvP zone Wintergrasp in Wrath of the Lich King, Blizzard implemented a...
Blizzard is now accepting entries for their BlizzCon online contests, including the Diorama, Motivational Poster, and Movie contests. Whether you have...
DIRECTV has just announced further details for their pay per view package of BlizzCon coverage, and that the special promotion offering it free with a...
If you enjoy the music from Blizzard Entertainment games and have ever thought about ordering the soundtracks, doing so just got more convenient. Six...
Those of us on the WoW Vault Staff who are participating in Wrath of the Lich King Beta have been sharing our impressions, game changes, screenshots...
Gamnin over on the beta warrior forums, has provided us with a sneak peak of some upcoming warrior changes.Hello Warriors,Ive got a sneak preview of...
The E3's been disappointing fans and developers alike, and we all know they need to shake things up or else. Now we hear of a rumor surrounding the games industry event as reported by Kotaku, and it seems like they're thinking of opening it to the public.
There's no official word on this yet - we've heard lots of "official words" regarding changes in the event's format, only to be found absolutely wrong later on - although it's been said that the idea has already been brought forward for discussion by the board of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
Instead, what we found as an update on Gamespot is a "No Comment" comment from ESA senior vice president for communications and research, Rich Taylor.
As we do every year, the ESA solicits feedback and direction from exhibitors and attendees on how best to adapt and evolve the E3 Media & Business Summit to ensure it meets their needs. Each element of the Summit is opened for discussion, and that process is ongoing to execute a productive and efficient experience. Regarding today's published reports, the ESA does not comment on rumors and speculation, and will make an announcement about the details and logistics of the 2009 E3 Media & Business Summit at the appropriate time.
There's been some major fallout in E3's circle of pals, like Activision Blizzard who chose to skip the party this year, and instead hold its own event in the same week. That's apart from all the critics who've thrown in their two cents on the current form of E3, such as EA's John Riccitiello, Ubisoft's Laurent Detoc, and EA Sports' Peter Moore.
Let's see if ESA can cook up something that will lure them back for the 2009 E3. Keep it posted here for more updates.
While World of Warcraft's Public Test Realm has taken the backseat in favor of the Wrath of the Lich King beta, it doesn't mean Blizzard has totally ignored the test server altogether. The European servers have recently been wiped to make room for the new 3.0 build of the PTR, according to Blizzard poster Tigole.
Tigole also mentioned that some patches were on the PTR for over two months already and should receive some major testing once it goes live. In addition, 3.0.2 will be sure to arrive some time before Wrath of the Lich King 2.0.1, similar to when the pre-Burning Crusade patch was implemented a month before the actual expansion was released.
Since there are still a lot of people trying out the WotLK beta, this means people who want to test out the new updates in the PTR will have a lot of free space on the Realm to do so. Also, Tigole mentioned that none of the classes are done, so anyone willing to sign up for the PTR will be more than welcome.
Apparently, some people are still thinking of the viability of having World of Warcraft on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Well, it's one of the most successful MMORPGs of all-time, so maybe porting it over to other platforms is a good thing, for financial reasons (if you're following Square Enix's line of thought).
However, running parallel to Hideo Kojima's statement yesterday (about MGS4 being impossible for the Xbox 360 because the game wasn't designed for the 360 in the first place), J. Allen Brack and Tom Chilton of Blizzard both agree that WoW was always intended to be played on the PC.
In a recent interview with Videogamer, they both reiterated the fact that WoW won't be heading for consoles.
Brack says that WoW was "designed to have a keyboard and a mouse" and that the controls are really - to use Kojima's word from yesterday - optimized for a PC control scheme. Brack continues: "If you think about mapping those controls and all those different type of buttons that you have to a console without a keyboard for chatting, it's a very challenging proposition."
Chilton, likewise, explained that it's not a worthwhile endeavor to bring WoW to consoles;
It's really not that we have anything against consoles," Chilton said. "I mean we love console games also. And I'm sure there will be a successful MMO sometime on a console. So it has nothing to do with that. It's just more like a square peg round hole thing for our game. It just wasn't designed with that in mind.
But then... when Videogamer raised the point that Funcom will be bringing their Age of Conan to the Xbox 360 - and that they've got some technology to map the keyboard buttons to a 360 controller - Chilton simply replies that he thinks that WoW wouldn't be "a very good experience playing like that."
While the PS3 has the upcoming Wireless Keypad, and the 360 its Chatpad, they aren't all that big, y'know. As Brack said, it'll be a very challenging experience indeed.
Do spaceships and mining for minerals on distant planetoids beat the unparalleled synergy of orcs, humans and night elves? In the eyes of Silicon Knights founder Denis Dyack it does. During an interview conducted by videogaming247, Dyack weighed both Blizzard's World of Warcraft and CCP Games' EVE Online on what he considered the superior MMO game.
Dyack admitted to trying out WoW for nearly a month when he told himself, "You know, I've got to stop this". He then came the conclusion that compared to EVE Online, the latter had more depth in terms of content and gameplay. Here's a quote from Dyack regarding his opinion on the Sci-Fi MMO game:
I was really, really big into EVE Online. I love EVE Online, and actually for me personally I actually think it s a better game. I know it s a lot harder core, but the depth of it s unparalleled and I love it. But I have to stop, force myself to stop playing those games because it takes so much time.
He was also relieved about finally finishing the development for Too Human. He said that this meant he now has time to play games of all sorts. Anyway, that apparently is his two cents regarding what he considers the better MMO title.
Well World of Warcraft's Wrath of the Lich King expansion is finally going to come out in a few weeks. bet you're looking forward to the pre-release patch that's going to come real soon.
One of the biggest changes in the Wrath of the Lich King is the new Calendar System, which will be offered in the pre-release patch. Here are the features we can expect when the Calendar System gets released:
Pre-existing events, like holidays and raid lockouts, will be on there by default. You can select what sort of events you want to see on your own calendar.
Any user can create events viewable to their guild and/or to a user-selectable list of invitees. Events can be of various categories, like "PvP" or "Raid."
If you send someone an invite, their calendar icon (on the minimap) will flash. They will then be able to RSVP to the event with whether or not they're coming.
Events to which people have RSVPed show the total number and number of each class; very handy for raids. You can invite people to a party or raid straight from the calendar interface if they're online.
Of course, words just aren't enough sometimes, so here's a video of the calendar system in action. Check back for more updates on World of Warcraft's Wrath of the Lich King.
The Wrath of the Lich King expansion for Blizzard's much-loved World of Warcraft is all ready to invade the PC gaming world by storm. But before that, a new content patch is in order.
Says Blizzard, you can expect this patch to arrive in the coming weeks, and this is quite akin to what Blizz did prior to the release of The Burning Crusade.
This patch for WotLK essentially caters to the bridging of the current game content with the expansion. Gotta keep it all in the family, you know. As expected, there are, of course, exciting changes and additions, the most prominent of which are the following:
New class spells and talents
Stormwind Harbor
Barbershops in capital cities
Zeppelin towers outside of Orgrimmar and Tirisfal Glades
Two brand-new Arenas featuring challenging new layouts, terrain hazards, and moving obstacles
Guild calendar
Hunter pet skill revamp
New profession: Inscription
Do take note, though, that this is by no means the final list, so we're betting we'll be seeing some more stuff thrown our way before the patch comes out. Or if not, well, we can always check it out ourselves, right?
Oh, and do take heed, particularly all Burning Crusade players. You guys will be able to select Inscription as one of the two professions and level up to a skill level of 375 with it. On the release of WotLK, those who purchase and install the expansion will be able to continue their leveling in Inscription, as well as other professions, even beyond 375.
Watch out for the full patch notes! They're coming very soon.
With the Leipzig Games Convention 2008 finally closing its curtains, we now get confirmation that next year's event has already been scheduled. The announcement was made via press release by Leipziger Messe GmbH CEO Wolfgang Marzin: GC 2009 will be held from August 19 to 23, also in Leipzig.
Along with the announcement, we hear of a survey conducted to this year's event's visitors, asking them if they'd want to see another GC next year.
Among all the visitors - whether trade exhibitor or part of the general public (some of which have travelled from half way across the world just to see the show) - a vast majority of about 90 agreed.
This makes me think of what the outcome would have been if a survey like this were conducted at the end of this year's E3, but moving on...
GC 2008's success is proven by the sheer number of visitors who dropped in: over the four-day period, some 203,000 people came in. Compared to last year, the number of software and hardware companies from around the world who participated in the Leipzig event have increased, from 189 to 234.
In a recent interview with Blizzard's J. Allen Brack and Tom Chilton, they squashed every console gamers' hopes of seeing the highly acclaimed MMO, World of Warcraft, boxed neatly inside a console. Also discussed were several other topics regarding the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King, as well as other new content for the game.
Chilton was also rather excited about the new achievement system that they will be introducing soon. It will definitely give players something to strive for and extend their gameplay even further.
When asked about the hardest challenge the developers have encountered so far, Brack answered that the insertion of the new Death Knight class was the biggest hurdle they've faced. However, with the beta phase for WotLK well underway, modifications are still being made to the new character class before its official release with the new expansion.
One of the more interesting things they discussed was Blizzard's take on MMOs made for consoles and social networks. This doesn't necessarily mean gamers should hope for a console version of WoW soon. Brack specifically mentioned while this may work with other MMOs, this setup wouldn't really work with World of Warcraft. I guess this just means we'll just have to play WoW as it was meant to be played: on a PC.
You can view the full interview conducted by play.tm by following the link found below.
The beta servers for Wrath of the Lich King are down , ladies and gents. That's because they are about to unleash a new build, and you bet this is but the calm before the storm.
As rumor would have it, based on the Gamona video interview at Leipzig earlier today, the level cap will be raised to 80. We cannot know for sure until the servers go back up. The downtime is expected to run for about six to eight hours, which started at 2:30PM PST.
Heads up, World of Warcraft gamers! As promised, Blizzard has released the opining cinematic of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion at the Leipzig Games Convention! I can't express just how awesome it is, so why don't you see for yourselves? Watch the video below.
Aside from the movie, Blizzard will also host a Q&A portion, playable demos, and a forum at the convention. We'll be sure to let you know if anything new comes out of the event. Enough dilly-dally though, here's the movie, enjoy!
Blizzard's unlocked a new mount for people to try out in the Wrath of the Lich King beta, and it's an awesome-looking motorcycle called "The Hog."
According to the current information that's been made available for the new mount, it's a level 80 mount that can only be used in Outland or Northrend. Furthermore, the mount isn't restricted to engineer professions, which means that, as of this writing, anyone who's level 80 can pick up this sweet ride to make their way across Outland and Azeroth.
The only sad thing about it? There isn't a lower-leveled equivalent so that you can drive around Outland in style. Ah well, it's a small regret at least.
If you were lucky enough to register a Blizzard account before August 12 (despite Blizzard's website being plagued by massive downtimes), then you're in for more luck! It's just been announced that the opt-in lotteries are now open.
The lottery period starts today, Wednesday, August 20, and will be ending on August 24, 11:59 P.M., PDT. All you have to do is log on to the Blizzard Account Management page any time within the lottery period. By the end of which, 1500 accounts will be picked out from the bunch and be awarded with a chance to get two tickets to the BlizzCon event.
Be advised that simply logging on will already give you a chance to be one of those lucky 1500 winners to be picked out. And since you're already logged on at that time, it might be best to double check your contact information too and update it if necessary.
There's another Olypmics happening apart from the one in Beijing, and this one's much closer to home. WoW Insider is reporting that WoWwiki is holding their very own WoWlympics (wow, that's a lot of wows right there), a scavenger hunt-type contest.
Blizzard will be in cooperation for the event, and so you can win five Wrath of the Lich King US Beta keys, 20 WorldWide Invitational cards containing codes for EU Beta keys and the Tyrael vanity pet. Both beta keys can be converted for use between regions as necessary.
The WoWlympicks kicked off with Clopper Wizbang asking players to search the site for five missing items. Each are located on a WoWwiki page and clues are provided along the way. Now, each of these missing items you have to locate is worth one entry to the WoWlympics sweepstakes, with a bonus three entries if you find all five. This adds up to a total of eight entries eligible for the grand draw.
The event runs until August 25. To join, just follow the source link provided below. That should lead you to the official WoWlypmics page. Good luck!
Leipzig is looking pretty spiffy this year, and I'm really looking forward to it, considering how much of a downer E3 turned out to be. Anyway, the good folks at 1UP have posted a new bunch of photos from the site of the Leipzig event as the booths are being set up for the big shebang tomorrow.
My personal favorite are the promotional figures for Lego Batman made up entirely of Lego blocks. Several major booths worth of noting is the not-little-but-big LittleBigPlanetbooth, Blizzard's World of Warcraft,Age of Conan, Tomb Raider: Underworld, and Mirror's Edge. You can see who else is coming to the show by clicking on the pics below.
For more pics from the site, follow the source link below. As expected, there's no sign of Nintendo, who has decided to go on a roadshow rather than join the rest of the group.
If you want to pull up some quick information about your World of Warcraft character (or anyone else's for that matter), why don't you try browsing for it on your iPhone. I'm not talking about the WoW Armory. There's a quicker way for you to do that - on the new and updated version of the Warcraft Characters app for the iPhone.
Released last July on the App Store, the WoW-friendly application now features some interesting and useful additions. Aside from compatibility with Apple's firmware 2.0, the app now allows you to view a character's gear, as well as his or her's reputation status.
In addition, non-US players can now make use of the app since it provides extended compatibility for characters from all other realms, such as those from China, Korea and Taiwan. The only thing missing seems to be the talents list for each character viewed. Otherwise, as a portable Armory, this app definitely does the job quite well.
Warcraft Characters is available on the App Store for free, so go ahead and download a copy. We'll be sure to keep tabs on any further updates regarding this nifty app as soon as we get them.
Blizzard has already confirmed their presence at the Leipzig Games Convention, but Kotaku recently found out an extra bit of information pertaining to Blizzard's presence at GC. Specifically, Blizzard will be showing off some new media for convention-goers to drool over.
According to Kotaku's report, Blizzard is planning on unveiling the opening cinematic movie for Wrath of the Lich King at the event.
Following the airing of the opening movie, the company will also host a Q&A session, presumably to answer questions folks may have on the cinematic.
Playable demos, an opening cinematic, and a forum for questions. Sounds like the Blizzard media machine is going full force at Leipzig. Keep checking QJ for updates from Leipzig as it happens.
Blizzard recently updated the Wrath of the Lich King's Talent calculator, which revealed numerous changes and adjustments to the Hunter class. Here's hoping we see these changes implemented soon. Here are the changes:
Beast Mastery
Focused Fire (Tier 2) - Updated stats/description: All damage caused by you is increased by 1/2 while your pet is active and the critical strike chance of your pet's special abilities by 10/20 while Kill Command is active. (was the critical strike chance of your Kill Command ability).
Pathfinding (Tier 3) - Updated stats/description: Increases the speed bonus of your Aspect of the Cheetah and Aspect of the Pack by 4/8 , and increases your speed while mounted by 5/10 . The mounted movement speed increase does not stack with other effects. (old version: Increases the speed bonus of your Aspect of the Cheetah and Aspect of the Pack by 4/8 )
Masters Call (Tier 3) replaced with Aspect Mastery.
Aspect Mastery moved from Tier 10 to Tier 3, and changed to 1 rank: Increases the mana returned from your Aspect of the Viper by 10 , reduces the damage done to you while in Aspect of the Monkey by 10 and increases the attack power bonus gained with Aspect of the Hawk by 50 .
Spirit Bond (Tier 5) - Updated stats/description: While your pet is active, you and your pet will regenerate 1/2 of total health every 10 sec and increases healing done to you and your pet by 5/10 . (old version did not have the increase healing part).
Animal Handler (Tier 6) - Updated stats/description: Increases your pet's chance to hit by 2/4 and reduces the cooldown of your Master's Call ability by 5/10 sec.
New Tier 10 Talent - Seperation Anxiety: When your pet is greater than 20 yards from you or is out of line of sight of you, its damage is increased by 2/4/6/8/10 , and when you and your pet are within 20 yards of each other, you and you pet's movement speed is increased by 2/4/6/8/10 .
Marksmanship
Improved Stings (Tier 4) - Changed from five levels to three, stats changed: Increases the damage done by your Serpent Sting by 10/20/30 and the mana drained by your Viper Sting by 10/20/30 . In addition, reduces the chance Stings will be dispelled by 10/20/30 .
Trueshot Aura now affects the whole raid. Rapid Recuperation (Tier 8) - Updated description: Reduces the mana and focust cost of all shots and abilities by you and your pet by 20/40/60 while under the effect of Rapid Fire, and you gain mana equal to 50/100/150 of the damage you do under the effect of Rapid Killing over 6 sec.
Marked for Death (Tier 10) - Updated stats/description: Increases the damage done by your shots and the damage done by your pet's special abilities by 2/4/6/8/10 , on the marked targets, and increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Aimed Shot, Steady Shot, Kill Shot or Chimera Shot by 2/4/6/8/10 .
Chimera Shot (Tier 11) - Updated stats/description: You deal 125 weapon damage (was 150 ), refreshing the current Sting (old version consumed the current Sting) on your target and triggering an effect. Serpent Sting unchanged. Viper Sting - Instantly restores mana to you equal to 60 of the total amount drained by your Viper Sting. Scorpid Sting - Attempts to Disarm the target for 10 sec. This effect cannot occuer more than once per 1 minute.
Survival
New Tier 2 Talent - T.N.T: Your Immolation Trap, Explosive Trap and Explosive Shot have a 5/10/15 chance to stun targets for 2 secs when they deal damage, and increases the critical strike chance of your Explosive Shot and Explosive Trap by 5/10/15 .
New Tier 4 Talent - Lock and Load: You have a 33/66/100 chance when you trap a target and a 5/10/15 when you Sting a target to cause your next 3 Arcane Shot or Explosive Shot spells to trigger no cooldown, cost no mana and consume no ammo.
New Tier 5 Talent - Hunter vs. Wild: Increases you and your pet's attack power and ranged attack power equal to 10/20/30 of your total Stamina.
Clever Traps (Tier 3) has been removed.
Deterrence is gone, and Deflection is now required for Counterattack.
Deflection moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3 and changed from five ranks to three (2/4/6 ).
Trap Mastery moved from Tier 4 to Tier 3. Description is not finished yet.
Survival Instincts moved from Tier 5 to Tier 2.
Improved Feign Death renamed to Survival Tactics and moved from Tier 4 to Tier 3: It now reduces the cooldown of your Disengage ability by 2/4 sec. (instead of reducing the damage you take during feign death by 15/30).
Survivalist (Tier 3) - Updated description: Increases your Stamina by 2/4/6/8/10 . (old version: Increases total health by 2/4/6/8/10 )
Surefooted (Tier 4): It now reduces duration on movement impairing effects by 16/25/50 .
Wyvern Sting (Tier 7) range increased from 5-35yd to 4-41yd. Nature dot duration reduced from 12 sec to 6 sec.
Potent Venom renamed Noxius Stings (Tier 8): If Wyver Sting is dispelled, the dispeller is also afflicted by Wyvern Sting lasting 16/25/50 of the duration remaining, and increases all damage done by you on target afflicted by your Serpent Sting by 1/2/3 .
Readiness (Tier 9) cooldown lowered from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.
Hunting Party (Tier 10) - Updated stats/description: Your Arcane Shot, Explosive Shot and Steady Shot critical strikes have a 20/40/60/80/100 chance to restore 2 mana, 10 energy, 4 rage or 10 Runic Power to all members of your party. The cooldown of this talent has been removed.
Explosive Shot (Tier 11) range increased from 5-35yd to 4-41yd, and it now does 416-486 damage and then 104-121 fire damage to all enemies within 5 yards of the target every second for 2 seconds.
If you think going through the ten extra levels Wrath of the Lich King will be offering is going to be a breeze, then think again. An article written on WoW Insider indicated that leveling now needs nearly twice as much experience (around 80 to be exact) compared to before.
While it is expected that leveling is a lot harder at this point, the steep slope the new leveling curve introduces can be quite daunting for even veteran World of Warcraft players. It is still a point of contention whether Blizzard will adjust this curve in the future or simply introduce other game balancing methods to draw out the grind.
The expansion does introduce two new starting points for players to suitably level their characters for the area. However, having players clear through them just to level up kind of defeats the whole purpose of creating them in the first place.
We'll be sure to keep an eye on any new updates regarding this matter as soon as we get them. In the meantime, check out our other WotLK articles through the links we've provided below.
The upcoming Leipzig Games Convention is already sure to make waves in the gaming industry, but it's gonna be even more so with Blizzard's confirmation that they will be showcasing in this year's event.
Blizzard Blue Poster Vaneras has said confirmed that they will be at the LGC this August 21 to 24, providing playable demos of Blizzard's wonder babies, StarCraft 2 and the highly anticipated Wrath of the Lich KingWoW expansion. They will also be running tournaments, quizzes and a whole lot of excitement with a Live Raid.
There will also be a Blizzard booth on the floor that will be ready to cater to your Blizzard needs -- including inquiries pertaining to recruitment. Here's clearly your chance to be a part of the company giant, and all you have to do is bring your CV with you and talk to them about how you can start your career with them.
The Blizzard booth at the Leipzig Games Convention will be in Hall 5, booth number D01. See you there!
BlizzCon 2008 is coming, and with it comes the promise of even more information on Blizzard's three high-profile games:Diablo III, World of Warcraft, and StarCraft 2. The information, as you can probably guess, will come in the form of panels that Blizzard will conduct.
Interested in knowing what the panels will be? Well we have the basic list of panels right below. Here's what BlizzCon attendees can look forward to when the event begins:
Diablo III Class Design
Diablo III Game Design
Diablo III Lore and Art
StarCraft II Gameplay
StarCraft Lore
StarCraft II Art
World of Warcraft Class Design
World of Warcraft PvP
World of Warcraft Art
World of Warcraft Dungeons & Raids
World of Warcraft UI and Mods
Blizzard Cinematics
Blizzard Sound and Music
You can find descriptions on the individual panels by checking out the source link below. Enjoy!
While 
Apparently, some people are still thinking of the viability of having 
Do spaceships and mining for minerals on distant planetoids beat the unparalleled synergy of 
With the 
In a recent interview with 
If you were lucky enough to register a 
If you think going through the ten extra levels 
