The Unplanned Raid UPDATED

More proof that The Solo MMO Player is right that unplanned and unscripted raids can be a lot of fun.  Following the recipe exactly is important when you are making cookies; it's not the same when you are making a raid.
http://blessingofkings.blogspot.com/2009/11/going-in-blind.html

UPDATE:  WOW Insider posts about Blessings of King's unplanned raid and asks for Comments about the practice.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/02/breakfast-topic-running-progression-raids-blind/

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Feral Druid (Bears) Armor List for Patch 3.2

Big Bear Butt has posted a list of what he calls Patch 3.2 Bear Gear Starter List (Armor) for New Level 80s on his blog.  The list doesn't contain gear from raids as BBB says he's not asked about that gear.
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/11/26/patch-3-2-bear-gear-starter-list-armor/

More from BBB
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/12/13/patch-3-3-starter-bear-gear-lists-armor/

More on bear strike and crit defense here.
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/09/23/questions-about-defense-and-survival-of-the-fittest/

Bear threat generation
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/09/23/questions-on-threat-generation/

Earlier bear threat generation
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/05/19/threat-generation-a-brief-discussion/

Tanking the lower levels as a bear (Part One:  Armor)
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/08/24/how-to-bear-tank-the-lower-levels-part-1-gear/

Tanking the lower levels as a bear (Part Two:  Miscellaneous Gear)
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/12/20/patch-3-3-starter-bear-gear-lists-miscellaneous/

More on bear gear
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/08/06/thoughts-while-studying-bear-gear/

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The Greedy Goblin Goes Solo

The Greedy Goblin, bored with his adventures in making gold, is turning to another interest of his--running low level instances with low level characters either solo or just with his girlfriend.  Gevlon was part of the team that ran Ulduar in blue gear recently.  Here's his first report on his solo and duo runs.
http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2009/11/arugal-must-die-before-20.html

Part two--why warlocks are more solo fun than priests.
http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2009/11/ability-to-act.html

http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2009/12/wailing-and-deadmines-on-19.html

Tobold just posted a long message on his blog about challenges in game and why MMORPGs frown on tackling instances without first researching what is likely to happen.
http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2009/11/destroying-challenge.html

I suspect long-time players will need to try playing the game differently to keep up their interest.  Why not try an instance without knowing what will happen? Why not try a solo run?  Why not try coming up with a different strategy than the usual recommended one for your next raid?  Just see what happens....

By the way, the Solo MMO Player would like to run an instance solo without any weapons.  Armor, yes; but not even a knife.

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Resto Druid Tips and Videos from The Blog-o-Sphere

This nice resto druid blog has plenty of videos on the right side of the page.
http://restodruiddell.blogspot.com/

This druid blog has both PvE and PvP tips for resto druids.  Check out the guides and basics in the right side column.
http://www.theoverpowereddruid.blogspot.com/

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A Raid without a Leader...

....is like sugarfree candy.  Pretty durn yucky, in other words.
http://www.worldofmatticus.com/2009/11/20/a-pugs-doom-knell-link-achiev-or-no-inv/

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Keybinding Across Alts

If you play several alts, you've run into the same problem Bear Flank has.  You'll find yourself trying to use the wrong spell or whatever because you temporarily forgot which character you are playing.  Here's how Sarah worked out a common action bar layout for all her characters.
http://thebearflank.blogspot.com/2009/11/action-bar-unification.htmlhttp://thebearflank.blogspot.com/2009/11/action-bar-unification.html

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Playing/Defeating Rogues in PvP

Druids versus rogues
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=11155760339&sid=1

If you see a rogue, cash Fairy Fire or Feral Fairy Fire to keep them from stealthing.  (Note:  rouges rarely are in battle unstealthed.)
http://www.restokin.com/2009/12/leveling-a-druid-pvp-from-10-to-19/

Mages versus rogues
http://samueltempus.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/whats-up-with-my-heroic-dps/

Warriors versus rogues
http://internet-games.suite101.com/article.cfm/wow_pvp_warrior_guide_versus_rogues

Warlocks versus rogues
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22222430-PVP-How-to-beat-a-rogue-a-warlocks-perspective

Various rogue battle strategies
http://www.wowwiki.com/Rogue_PvP_guide

More detailed rogue battle strategies versus all the other classes.  Undated but very specific.
http://www.world-of-warcraft-tipps.de/guides/schurke/schurken-pvp-strategien.html

Long three-part guide to playing a rogue in PvP situations.  Dated January 2009.
http://thekingdomofernor.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/34-Rogue-Comprehensive-PvP-Guide-Part-1-General-Theory.html

http://thekingdomofernor.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/35-Rogue-Comprehensive-PvP-Guide-Part-2-General-Practice.html

http://thekingdomofernor.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/36-Rogue-Comprehensive-PvP-Guide-Part-3-1v1.html

I did find a site dedicated to playing PvP with a rogue. It recommends macros, discusses strategies, has interviews with rogue PvP players, etc.  Worth a browse if you play as a rogue.
http://lastrogue.com/
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Guildwatch Before Thanksgiving

Once upon a time there was a guild called Equilibrium.  It was run by a couple who were co-GMs.  Then there was another officer who fly across country to meet the girlfriend in real life.  Breakup of the couple, the old boyfriend quit the guild and the game, and--to top it all off--the realm has its own rapper historian who immortalized the  whole love story on YouTube.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/25/guildwatch-analyzing-the-situation/#continued

The video is here for you romantics.  It is Not Safe For Work (NSFW).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY7Bbror2g8

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50 Best WOW Blogs

A list of the best blogs out there in the writer's opinion, with links to favorite blog entries.  Add your favorite in the Comments.
http://www.wowfreetrial.info/50-best-updated-world-of-warcraft-blogs/

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Soloing as a Protection Warrior

A 5/31/35 spec to solo as a protection warrior plus three instances (Zul’Gurub, Onyxia and Karazhan).
http://www.angrydwarfs.com/2009/08/29/soloing-as-a-protection-warrior-part-1/

More solo fun as a protection warrior.
http://www.angrydwarfs.com/2009/10/31/soloing-as-a-protection-warrior-part-2/

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Arcane Mage PvE Guide

Note that this very complete guide to playing as an arcane mage is on a frost mage site.
http://www.frostnova.ch/tachyon/blogArticle.do;jsessionid=2A7A20470EEC956C9A1F03FF44C653AC?action=view&id=35487744

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Retribution Paladin Specs

Specs, glyphs, gear, etc. for the retribution paladin.  Patch 3.2 information.
http://morrighan13.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/retribution-paladin-raiders-crib-sheet/

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Astro Gaming's Headset/Amplifier Reviewed

Kotaku reviews the A40 Audio System from Astro Gaming, a headset and amplifier system marketed as for gamers.  Read the Comments for more information and other options if you are in the market for headphones.
http://kotaku.com/5409375/astro-gaming-a40-audio-system-review-sound-advice

Here's the company website.
http://www.astrogaming.com/products/

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Five Years of World of Warcraft

Kotaku's posting articles about WOW all this week to celebrate the game's fifth anniversary.  First up is a history of the origins of the game.
http://kotaku.com/5408287/world-of-warcraft-turns-5-how-blizzard-built-a-nation

Blizzard has created a series of video interviews to celebrate.
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wowanniversary/video/#video

There are written interviews, too.
http://www.wowhead.com/?blog=133800

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Mortigan's Guide to Placing Raid Wipe Blame

Help from a warlock blog when you aren't certain exactly whom to blame when your raid goes sour.
http://mortiganthelock.blogspot.com/2009/10/wipes-warlockss-fair-and-unbiased-guide.html

You may find Mortigan The Blameless' guide to raiding useful as well.
http://mortiganthelock.blogspot.com/2009/10/single-set-of-rules-on-how-to-raid.html

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WOW Head Pilgrims Bounty Holiday Summary

http://www.wowhead.com/?blog=131153

Tips for completing the achievements, etc.
http://wowalone.blogspot.com/2009/11/pilgrims-bounty-tips.html

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Help for Guilds Choosing Loot Distribution Systems

Cold Comfort analyzes some popular raid loot distribution systems with tips for making them work within your guild.
http://blog.cold-comfort.org/managing-your-loot-standings/

More loot systems.
http://www.wow.com/2010/07/18/nonstandard-loot-systems-in-wow/

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Thanksgiving Day Massacre

Last night the Solo MMO Player happened to be in the Under City  when 30-40 Alliance players appeared at the gate coming from Tirisfal Glades (probably after disrupting the turkey kills there) to attack,  Unfortunately, there were a large number of Level 80 Horde players sitting at the Pilgrims Bounty tables eating in the courtyard. Once Alliance players appeared, there was a moment of quiet as all the Horde Level 80s looked at each other, then there was the first shot....

It was a massacre, with bones piled upon bones.

The Solo MMO Player even found a single Level 80 hiding in the shack next to the blimp area, trying to escape.  He ignored him and went about his solo business.

Many thanks to the Alliance geniuses who provided the Horde with entertainment last night.

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Pike's Favorite Machinima

Her recommendations of the five best WOW machinima.
http://www.aspectofthehare.net/2009/11/my-five-favorite-wow-movies.html

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Blizzard's Interactive Boss Map (Bosstiary)

To encourage players to examine the lore in the game, Blizzard has released an interactive map calls the Bosstiary on their site.  WOW Insider explains it here.  If you want to know a bit more about the bosses you are fighting, check out the map itself at the second link.
http://www.wow.com/2009/06/05/blizzard-launches-ulduar-bosstiary/

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/underdev/3p3/dungeon-bosstiary.html

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Guide to the Auction House UI (Addons) UPDATED

This warlock blog just posted a long message about how to get the most out of the Auction House UI using various addons to boost the stock Auction House functions.  He even shows you how to configure all the mods once you download them.   Many thanks to WOW Insider for mentioning this, especially since all the addons mentioned work as of Patch 3.2.
http://felfire.com/guide/my-auctionhouse-guide/

UPDATE:  Addons for the Auction House as of Patch 3.3
http://www.wow.com/2010/02/27/gold-capped-auction-house-addon-list/

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WARNING: Jade Tiger Phishing Email Seeks Battle.net Info

Tobold just posted a warning about a new phishing email that purports to come from Blizzard and offers players a jade tiger pet if you fill out a survey.  Because you have to type in your Battle.net account email and login at the website set up for this "survey," you are opening yourself up to fraud.  After you finish the fake survey a link actually takes you to the Blizzard site.
http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2009/11/phishing-alert-jade-tiger-e-mails.html

BEWARE.

By the way, Matticus has posted a screen shot of the fake email.  It is very authentic looking but wasn't sent to the right account address, which is a huge tip-off that things are not kosher.
http://www.worldofmatticus.com/2009/11/20/warning-jade-tiger-pet-a-scam/

Tobold is European and Matticus is in the U.S. so this scan is all over.  I repeat, beware!

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Big Bear Butt Raids as a Retro Paladin

BBB's talking about his experiences raiding in PUGs as a retro Paladin and the Great Gear Myth.
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/11/19/harping-on-party-politics/

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Power Auras (Addon) UPDATED

Although the Power Auras addon isn't just for hunters, this article at WOW Insider points hunters to the Huntman's Lodge blog to find tips on using it.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/19/more-power-auras-tips-for-hunters/

Here is the direct link to the article, which has tips, a downloadable copy of the writer's UI, and explains how to use Power Auras when a hunter.
http://huntsmanslodge.com/4353/hunter-power-auras.htm

WOW Insider also mentions Big Red Kitty's article for them about using Power Auras.  Here's the direct link to it.  Note that BRK's movie is gone from WOW Insider and also from BRK's blog.
http://www.wow.com/2009/02/01/bigredkitty-power-auras/

There is a video download link on his blog, though.  You might still be able to download it.  I didn't test this.
http://www.bigredkitty.net/2009/02/01/brk-power-auras-movie/

UPDATE:
Introduction to Power Auras with simple configuration instructions.
http://www.wow.com/2010/05/13/addon-spotlight-power-auras/#continued

Power Auras for healing shamans.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/22/totem-talk-power-auras-for-restoration/

For enhancement shamans.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/05/totem-talk-basic-power-auras-for-enhancement/

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The Basics of Training (Spells, Abilities, Professions)

WOW Insider just posted an article that summarizes all aspects of training for new players.  There are links to lists of class trainer locations, hints on how to train dual specs, and information about riding, weapons and professions trainers.  This is a good reference article, up to date as of Patch 3.2.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/18/wow-rookie-training-up/#continued

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About Guildwatch (the RP-PvP Kind)

WOW Insider has posted an interview with an Alliance member of the Feathermoon realm.  This is a role play server with an Alliance guild watch system that keeps guard over Alliance cities.  It's an interesting concept that mixes RP with PvP.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/18/15-minutes-of-fame-mixlering-it-up-in-world-pvp/#continued

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A Feral Druid Ruminates on Cats Versus Bears

Of Claws and Paws asks why most feral druids are playing as cats and comes up with a four letter answer-gear.  The rest of the article explains how gear for cats and bears has changed over the life of the game.
http://ofclawsandpaws.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/winter-hibernation/

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Guildwatch: Guilds at the Center of the Universe

It is Wednesday again and Guildwatch is back!  My favorite drama involves the guild Legion Unleashed whose GM just left.  The replacement was kicking out members right and left, complaining about the officers, etc.  It was a mess, enough so that the replacement GM applied to another guild and told them right on the application he planned to ninja his old guild bank.  There's honesty and then there is honesty, I guess.  Not surprisingly, the new guild didn't accept the replacement GM, especially after the forums had his fellow members piling on complaints about him.  Our hero (or villain) has a classic quote in the forums in response:  "these guilds in which this game is revolved around is udder bull*%#*".  He also claims that everyone will fail without him. So guilds are not the center of the universe but he is?  I'd be more impressed if his grammar was better, frankly.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/18/guildwatch-these-guilds-in-which-this-game-is-revolved-around/

As usual, there is more drama in the link above, where you'll find many guilds downing instances and others recruiting but none of them on the Solo MMO Players' guild.

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Key Binding for Multiple Healer Alts

Miss Medicina talks about how she organizes her key bindings for the multiple healers she plays so she doesn't get too confused when switching among her characters.  The Comments section has other interesting organizational ideas.
http://missmedicina.blogspot.com/2009/11/multi-healer-organization.html

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Independent Battlegrounds Players

Cassandri at Hots and Dots (who is a healer) has an interesting article up about Battlegrounds and how independent players work there.  She calls them Lone Rangers.  They aren't exactly solo players but they act independently.
http://www.hotsdots.com/2009/11/battleground-independence/

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BBB's Looking for Group Adventure

Big Bear Butt Blogger has done a faction change and is now a Blood Elf Paladin instead of a Dwarf Paladin.  So what does he do?  He goes Looking for Group (LFG).  What happens next may foretell what the new LFG across realm experience will be like.
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/11/17/tales-from-the-lfg-tavern/

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Gold, Leveling and Drama

You may not have noticed this week's heavy drama playing out over several prominent blogs about guides to making gold and for leveling.  Honor's Code summarizes the issues well here.  It's a good read if you are sitting around waiting for Guildwatch's next episode.  It also brings up some questions about ethics.
http://honorscode.blogspot.com/2009/11/gold-and-leveling-guides.html

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RAWR Interview: DK Tanks Lead Developer

Here's an interview with the contributing developer for Death Knight tank information at RAWR.  He talks about what RAWR does poorly for DKs and what it does well.  Shazear also talks about what he'd like to do in the future.  If you have a DK and use RAWR, you'll want to read this.
http://pwnwear.com/2009/11/17/rawr-tankdk-guest-post-from-the-lead-developer/

Not everyone thinks the RAWR simulations provide good in-game data since the numbers used are squishy.  Such sims also seem to feed the Great Gear Myth, but as long as you know what you are getting, this can be a useful tool.

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Effective Health Formula (Tanks and Tenacity Pets)

Big Red Rhino has posted an article about the Effective Health formula, used by tanks to choose gear.  He uses this formula to calculate how much damage his tenacity pet can take.  To quote the Rhino himself-- "Simply put, it’s a mathematical calculation of HP and armor that calculates how much raw damage the tank can take before dying."
http://bigredrhino.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/effective-health/

Tanks and tenacity pet owners alike may be interested in this.

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Thoughts on WOW Challenges

Spinksville has written an essay about challenges in WOW, how players research instances before they run them, and rate themselves "good players" if they have great reflexes, not if they run instances with less-than-perfect gear.
http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/thought-of-the-day-how-we-define-challenge/

The Solo MMO Player has been wondering why more folks don't run instances blind, or at least come up with new strategies than the ones that have worked in the past.  If you look at the game this way, there are many many things still to do, no matter how long you have played.

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Guide to Leveling a Healer Druid (Solo)

Restokin has a guest posting by a solo healing druid who realized there isn't a lot of help for druid healers who are not Level 80 yet.  So he's written one with eight tips and a rotation.
http://www.restokin.com/2009/11/leveling-healing-guest-post-by-verdantazia-of-silverhand/

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Dedicated WOW Search Engine in Beta

WOW Insider reports the dedicated WOW search engine called Mrgl-Mrgl (named after a murloc NPC) is now in beta form.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/15/dedicated-wow-search-engine-now-in-beta/

The search engine is currently down but here's the URL.  WOW Insider thinks it looks at WOW forums, news sites, and YouTube videos only.  Of course by the time it is out of beta, it may be totally different and more targeted at WOW in its searches than Google and Bing.
http://www.mrgl-mrgl.com/

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Alterac Valley Overview

http://www.wowwiki.com/Alterac_Valley

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All About Arena (with Beginner's Guide)

Here is what Blizzard says about Arena.  There are maps of the various arenas here with links to detailed walkthroughs.  Note that you can do practice arena matches before you hit level 80 but you can't join a team until then.  It also tells you where to buy team charters and what they cost, depending on whether you are playing 2x2 or whatever.
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/pvp/arena/index.xml

Ten Ton Hammer has just posted (October 2009) an arena guide.  It's not finished yet but it has up-to-date information.
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/26536

WOW Insider is doing a beginner's guide to arena also.  Here's part one.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/14/blood-sport-beginners-guide-to-arena-part-ii/#continued

Part two.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/14/blood-sport-beginners-guide-to-arena-part-ii/

Part three.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/21/blood-sport-beginners-guide-to-arena-part-iii/

Part four (healing)
http://www.wow.com/2010/01/01/blood-sport-beginners-guide-to-arena-part-iv/

Part five (dealing damage)
http://www.wow.com/2010/01/04/blood-sport-beginners-guide-to-arena-part-v/

Part six (arena terms and abbreviations)
http://www.wow.com/2010/02/01/blood-sport-beginners-guide-to-arena-part-vi/

Part seven (tips)
http://www.wow.com/2010/02/11/blood-sport-beginners-guide-to-arena-part-vii/

WOW Insider is now looking at things like rage, focus and energy in Arena (part one).
http://www.wow.com/2010/01/20/blood-sport-resource-mechanics-in-arena-part-i/

The death knight rune system (part two)
http://www.wow.com/2010/01/25/blood-sport-resource-mechanics-in-arena-part-2/

The ultimate Arena website is Arena Junkies'.  It has macros, strategies, rankings, etc.
http://www.arenajunkies.com/

Skill Capped also offers free PvP videos and class guides.  Most of the videos are without commentary but they have posted some of their most popular videos with commentary to entice folks to subscribe.
http://www.skill-capped.com/

This is a guide to improving your arena gear.  It is dated January 2009.
http://www.wowconfidential.com/2009/01/06/fastest-way-to-gear-up-for-pvp-get-the-best-pvp-gear/

The Arena rating system basics are explained here.
http://www.wow.com/2009/09/16/the-colosseum-a-basic-guide-to-the-arena-rating-system/

By the way, Blizzard's lead developer thinks arenas were a mistake.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/13/blizzard-arenas-were-a-mistake/

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WOW in Space UPDATED

A bit about an upcoming space-themed MMO called Allods Online.  There is a link to a video.
http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2009/11/wow-in-space.html

UPDATE:  Massively has done a preview with a video of their own game play.
http://www.massively.com/2009/11/13/first-impressions-allods-online/

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Blizzard Speaks: "Arenas are a mistake"

The website Warcry.com just published an interview with Blizzard's VP of game design.  WOW Insider summarizes it here.  The VP thinks arenas were a mistake, talks about the total number of WOW subscribers, their greatest successes and who they think their audience is.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/13/blizzard-arenas-were-a-mistake/

The original interview is published here.
http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/interviews/6773-Five-Years-of-Warcraft-Speaking-With-Blizzards-Rob-Pardo

By the way, Blizzard has released an interview from 2008, the video of which is embedded below.  It's mostly about the Wrath of the Lich King release.
http://www.wowhead.com/?blog=130459

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Tips to Reduce Lag

WOW Insider mentions tips to reduce lag and links to forum postings with further information.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/13/fixing-raiding-lag/

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Bag Management

One of the things that causes a lot of trouble in any MMO is inventory management.  In WOW, this means managing the bags that you use to carry items.  If you are new to the game, you'll want to look at this WOW Insider column about bag management.
http://www.wow.com/2009/09/23/wow-rookie-bag-it/2

If you are a more advanced player, NoobDing may have tips that will help you.
http://noobding.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-bigger-bags-wont-solve-your-problem.html

Spellchecker has an article about bags that repeat much of the above but that also mentions the addon GarbageFu which he recommends for inventory management.
http://myguildhome.com/WTBSpellchecker/?p=630

UPDATE:  WOW Insider reviews several bag management addons.
http://www.wow.com/2010/03/04/addon-spotlight-battle-of-the-bags/

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Hunter Trinkets

All about trinkets for hunters (Patch 3.3).
http://www.wow.com/2010/02/22/scattered-shots-hunter-trinkets/

The Hunters Mark lists all the non-faction-specific trinkets available to hunters in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.  There's a brief explanation of the trinket and where to get it, too.
http://www.thehuntersmark.net/2009/11/13/hunter-trinkets-in-wrath/

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Death Knight Pets

WOW Insider writes about death knights and their pets.  Ghouls, gargoyles and the Army of the Dead are explained.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/12/lichborne-the-care-and-feeding-of-pets/

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Healers' Reflex Versus Rotation

Miss Medicina has written a two part article about healers and their use of reflex button-mashing versus setting up rotations to heal in a raid.
http://missmedicina.blogspot.com/2009/11/rotation-versus-reflex-part-1.html

http://missmedicina.blogspot.com/2009/11/reflex-versus-rotation-part-2.html

It's an interesting article that accidentally shows off something that the Solo MMO Player feels is under-appreciated:  how individual style comes into play, often undermining what players have learned is the "best" way to gear a character or run that raid.  The Solo MMO Player's position is that, for example, there are folks who heal/heal/heal compulsively because that is who they are.  If you know you have a play style that runs counter to the accepted way of playing your character, toss the accepted ways out the window and figure out how things should be arranged for you to play your characters well.

In other words, theory crafting is a simulation of how things should work in a perfect game world.  Inside WOW, nothing will work that way precisely.  It's time players start thinking outside the box instead of boxing themselves in.

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Affliction Warlock Specs (Solo Players)

Darth Solo lists the affliction warlock specs and talents he uses in his solo play.  Note that he does not raid and will talk about glyphs in another posting later.
http://wowalone.blogspot.com/2009/11/affliction-warlock-spec.html

Here is the promised glyphs posting.
http://wowalone.blogspot.com/2009/11/affliction-warlock-glyphs.html

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Rogues Versus Mages (and Why Mages Win)

Slice and Dice explains why mages kick rogue butt when it comes to DPS.
http://samueltempus.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/whats-up-with-my-heroic-dps/

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Guildwatch

Guildwatch's writer seems to think guilds have pretty much conquered all the raids and are just waiting for Patch 3.3's Icecrown to move back into raid mode.  Clearly he has never visited The Solo MMO Player's realm where 3-5 guilds raid and everyone else does, well, not much.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/11/guildwatch-the-waiting-game/

Fortunately, folks being what they are, there is plenty of drama going on.  Let me quote Guildwatch here--
"Tip: anything labeled as 'a serious anaylisis of the Daggerspine server' [sic] is basically like lighting up a pile of oil-soaked rags and standing back to watch the fire. To be fair, Tomax does say that his guild, Imperium, has been a disappointment, but then the blame starts right up, and obviously the other guilds aren't happy to be given his "pep talk." It's weird, right? You'd think that calling other guilds on the server a "cancer" would cheer them up and help them down bosses."

By the way, you can read the "anaylisis" here.
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=20565930036&sid=1&pageNo=1

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General Macros

The Bear Flank is writing brief articles about the macros he uses.  I've filed the restoration/enhancement shaman and druid and blood death knight macros with previous articles on macros for those classes, but one article talks about general macros useful for almost everyone.
http://thebearflank.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-macros.html

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Outfitter Manages Gear

If blizzard's built in Equipment Manager is driving you nuts, you might want to consider Outfitter (updated to Patch 3.2--we are at Patch 3.2.2 now).
http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/outfitter.aspx

Outfitter was used by a great many folks until Blizzard decided to create Equipment Manager.  Outfitter's creator pulled it, then decided to keep it going.
http://www.wow.com/2009/04/14/outfitter-not-discontinued-after-all/

There are also other alternatives to Outfitter and Blizzard's Equipment Manager.
http://www.wow.com/2009/03/24/addon-spotlight-alternatives-to-outfitter/

Apparently you must disable Equipment Manger to use Outfitter.  Do research on this before following the instructions, however.  This is old information!
http://www.wowinterface.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23953

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RAWR Updated Version

RAWR has been updated by its creators.  WOW Insider has the scoop here.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/11/rawr-updated-to-2-2-25/

The RAWR site.
http://www.codeplex.com/Wikipage?ProjectName=Rawr

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FERAL DRUID GEAR LISTS (Cat and Bear)

Here's the front door for four feral druid gear lists.  You can look at cat DPS, cat "high gear" DPS, bear mitigation, or bear "high gear" mitigation lists.  Each list is broken down into sections such as head, neck, shoulders, etc.  This looks as if it is going to be very useful,  but carefully read the information posted on the front door to know exactly what is going on.  Note:  This is up-to-date as of Patch 3.1.3 except for a few Ulduar hard modes items.  We are currently at Patch 3.2.2
http://www.emmerald.net/

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Rogues and The Agility Equivalence Points System

Shadow Panther explains the Agility Equivalance Points system for rogues and also his refinements to the system.
http://shadowpanther.net/aep.htm

Actually, if you play a rogue, you will enjoy browsing his site.
http://shadowpanther.net/

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A Rogue Examines Envenom and Eviscerate

Is "envenom" a word?

This explanation will help rogues decide which to use to improve their DPS during spell rotation.
http://samueltempus.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/envenom-eviscerate/

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How Guilds Will Work in Cataclysm

Here is the latest information about how the guilds system will work after Cataclysm hits.
http://blog.cold-comfort.org/minor-updates-guilds-cataclysm/

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Battlegrounds for Beginners

WOW Insider has published a guide for Battlegrounds novices.  The first section is a general guide and tells you how to enter the Battlegrounds.
http://www.wow.com/2009/10/29/the-art-of-war-craft-absolute-beginners-guide-to-the-battlegr/

Warsong Gulch is the first battleground area examined.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/07/the-art-of-war-craft-absolute-beginners-guide-to-warsong-gulc/

Arathi Basin is the next entry.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/14/the-art-of-war-craft-absolute-beginners-guide-to-arathi-basin/

Alterac Valley is next.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/21/the-art-of-war-craft-absolute-beginners-guide-to-alterac-vall/

By the way, the Solo MMO Player says Blizzard has a lot of Battleground information on their website.  There isn't much in the way of strategy, though.  Of course most players run around like maniacs anyway, so strategies are probably a waste of time.  Note the cross-instance realm.
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/pvp/battlegrounds/

Eye of the Storm
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/28/the-art-of-war-craft-absolute-beginners-guide-to-eye-of-the-s/

Strand of the Ancients ends this beginners' series,
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/06/the-art-of-war-craft-absolute-beginners-guide-to-strand-of-th/

but the same author has written a guide to the Isle of Conquest so if you are interested, head here.
http://www.wow.com/2009/10/01/the-art-of-war-craft-guide-to-the-isle-of-conquest/

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WOW Trading Card Game Championships

WOW Insider announces the trading card game realm championships for 2009.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/07/realm-championships-and-a-2010-preview-for-the-tcg/

They have world championships also.
http://www.wow.com/2009/10/13/battle-and-victory-at-the-tcg-and-minis-world-championships/

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Druids in PvP In the Patch 3.2 Era

Druids and healing in Battlegrounds.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/06/shifting-perspectives-5-observations-from-a-reluctant-battlegro/#continued

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Another Boss Warning Addon

No Stock UI discusses Deus Vox Encounters, which plays sounds when bosses approach.
http://www.nostockui.com/2009/11/deus-vox-encounters/

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Keybinding

Gravity at Pwnwear talks about the keys he binds movement commands and spells to.  Read the Comments for the way other folks do this, then pick what seems to work best for your hands and playing style.  (I think Gravity plays a Death Knight, but at least some of the commands are universal.)
http://pwnwear.com/2009/11/06/keybinding-do-it/

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COMPARING BEAR AND CAT GEAR (FERAL DRUIDS)

A three part article discussing the differences and similarities among cat and bear form feral druids.
http://wowthinktank.blogspot.com/2009/01/druidthe-anti-tank-maximizing-dps-for.html

http://wowthinktank.blogspot.com/2009/01/druidthe-anti-tank-part-2-stats-case.html

http://wowthinktank.blogspot.com/2009/01/druid-anti-tank-part-3-blowing-stuff-up.html

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Thought for the Day

The Solo MMO Player asks:  Do you play your character, or do you wear it?

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The Feral Druid Tank

Karthias looks at Nurturing Instinct as a talent to help heal his feral druid tank in cat form. Note that this is from 2008. Read the comments for more insight.
http://teethandclaws.blogspot.com/2008/04/more-on-nurturing-instinct.html

A discussion from 2007 about how a bear tank can heal without shifting out of bear form.
http://vnboards.ign.com/wow_druid_class/b22777/105202468/p1/

More about bear tanking threat rotations from Karthias from May 2009.
http://teethandclaws.blogspot.com/2009/05/bear-threat-rotations.html


A feral druid talks about how to improve as a tank.
http://feralconfessions.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/this-tank-sucks/

Loot scales for Patch 3.1 (we are currently operating under Patch 3.2).
http://teethandclaws.blogspot.com/2009/04/loot-weighting-for-31.html

Feral druid PvP tactics against various classes (from 2006!).
http://thedruidsgrove.org/wow/forums/archive/index.php/t-10803.html

Karthias posts his feral druid gear worksheet here.  It's a Google document so anyone can see it no matter what computer flavor they use.  Note the Bear Only and Cat Only pages at the bottom.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pdnkV0444wHn_grOhx1RkNg

A Karthias macro to keep from accidentally switching out of bear form.
http://teethandclaws.blogspot.com/2008/12/poison-pill-macros.html

Big Bear Butt's video guide to leveling your weapon skill as a feral druid.
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/02/20/leveling-your-weapon-skill-the-video/

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Tanking from Many Angles

Discussions on tanking are popping up all over.  (This must be the topic of the week in the Blog-o-Sphere.)  The first article explains how a feral druid in bear form tanks and is a guide for those new to bear tanking.
http://www.worldofraids.com/wow-blue-tracker/eu-forums/9521444247-guide-bear-tanking-for-dummies.html

Big Red Rhino explains how a hunter tank keeps aggro, discussing things such as crowd control and resistance buffs.
http://bigredrhino.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/so-your-healer-pulls-aggro/

Last, here is a discussion of exactly what a main tank is and what their responsibilities in a raid should be.  Note that the article is really talking about raid attendance and the main tank's responsibilities.
http://avengingwrathy.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/what-is-a-main-tank/

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Sharing Raid Loot the GDKP Way

Another raid loot division system.  Basically, everyone bids gold on loot drops, high bid wins.  The gold that was bid goes into a pot that is shared out equally after the raid ends.
http://deathknight.info/2009/11/gdkp-and-you-the-other-way-to-get-loot/

Cold Comfort is not a fan.  (Neither is the Solo MMO Player.)
http://blog.cold-comfort.org/gdkp-guild-loot-system/

More critiques.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/22/the-sudden-popularity-of-gdkp/

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Guildwatch: The Grifter Edition

Wednesday's Guildwatch brings us news of Idinged who ninja'd the Onyxia mount according to report.  Guildwatch hears the thief doesn't even have the flying skill necessary.  Of course when did that ever stop someone from taking what wasn't theirs?

The Prometheans's GM has a new rule--Wear the guild tabard or you won't get loot from the raid.  Has my mother taken up playing WOW?  This sounds like the sort of rule she specialized in when I was 8.

Finally, I have to quote Guildwatch directly for this:

"...the pic above [that heads the Guildwatch column this week] is of a poor guy who piped up in a Trade channel to say that he'd purchased the Unusual Compass for a whopping 425g because the dude who sold it to him claimed it would lead him off to a Time-Lost Proto drake. In reality, all the compass does is point you in a random direction, and it's obtained randomly from the fishing quests. But hey -- you may not be able to fool all of the people all of the time, but you can almost always fool at least one person out of 425g."

Read all about this and more, plus guilds recruiting and downing instances (but not on the Solo MMO Player's realm) here.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/04/guildwatch-no-tabard-no-loot/


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Addon Basics

WOW Insider is starting a series about the basics of addons.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/04/wow-rookie-add-ons-for-rookies/

WOW Insider recommends these addons as basic and useful.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/11/wow-rookie-basic-add-ons/

Looking back at my postings, I have done more about addons than any other topic.  They obviously are important for players.  I'll update this article when WOW Insider posts more basics and try to organize my earlier posts into better order as I have time.

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Mailbox Addons: Postal

Postal allows you to manage your alts' mailboxes.  WOW Insider featured Postal in their addon column last June.
http://www.wow.com/2009/06/06/addon-spotlight-postal/

More details about what it does and does not do here.
http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/postal.aspx

And here.
http://www.wowinterface.com/downloads/info11187-Postal.html

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You've Played Too Much WOW When...

Big Bear Butt explains how you know you have been playing too much.
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/11/03/you-know-youve-played-too-much-wow-when/

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Review: Lowerping.com

This service (not open to U.S. players) lowers latency.  Pwnwear says it works very well for him/her so far and gives tips about setting it up.  Apparently the documentation is a bit skimpy.
http://pwnwear.com/2009/11/03/review-lowerping-com/

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Newest Curse Client in Open Beta

WOW Insider says that Curse's version four client is now in open beta.  Details here.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/03/curse-client-v4-now-in-open-beta/

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Healing Meters--Why and How?

This is a very interesting article about healing meters and why they are really helpful.  The writer talks about Healing Per Second (HPS), Healing Per Cast Time (HPCT), Healing Per Mana (HPM) and Healing Per Encounter (HPE) as well as the other Recount measured items and describes how to use them to analyze the healing in a raid.
http://moarhps.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/hps-do-numbers-really-not-matter/

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Moonkin Basics for the Druid

Graylo has started writing Moonkin Basics on his Gray Matter blog, starting with talents.
http://graymatterwow.blogspot.com/2009/11/moonkin-basics-talents.html

Here's an addemdum to the talents posting.
http://graymatterwow.blogspot.com/2009/11/look-at-pushback-resistance.html

Here are specs.
http://graymatterwow.blogspot.com/2009/11/moonkin-basics-stats.html

By the way, he recommends this information by the Elitist Jerks on Moonkin PvE DPS as the best information he's ever read for the balance druid.
http://elitistjerks.com/f47/t66856-moonkin_pve_dps/

There is a moonkin website and forum here.
http://www.themoonkinrepository.com/

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Warlocks' Minions

Part one of a WOW Insider series on the various minions that warlocks have as companions and servants.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/02/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-1/#continued

Part two talks about the voidwalkers and generating threat, plus discussions of spells.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/09/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-2-of-voidwalkers-and-threat/

Part three covers the succubus and how to use crowd control.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/23/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-3-the-succubus-and-crowd-co/

Part four discusses the felhunter and the mage.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/14/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-4-the-felhunter-and-mage-ha/

Part five talks about infernals and doomguard.
http://www.wow.com/2010/01/04/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-5-the-infernal-and-doomguard/

Part six describes the felguard.
http://www.wow.com/2010/03/01/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-6-the-felguard/

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How to Recruit Using World of Raids

Matticus explains how he is searching for guild members using World of Raids' recruiting page.
http://www.worldofmatticus.com/2009/11/01/a-change-of-recruiting-strategy-world-of-raids-tool/

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G4 Interviews Blizzard Team

WOW Insider points us to an interview G4's Morgan Webb has just done with Blizzard staff about the upcoming fifth anniversary of WOW and how the game has developed.  WOW Insider hosts sections of the interview at the link below and also summaries the high points if you don't want to bother watching the whole thing.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/01/g4-talks-to-blizzard-about-five-years-of-wow/#continued

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