Screenshot Tips (PCs and Macs)

http://www.wow.com/2009/12/30/wow-rookie-thanks-for-the-memories/#continued

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The Most Creative Guild Application Ever

This has my vote for [insert title].  Many thanks to Jong at the Forbearance blog for pointing this out.
http://www.stickfigureninja.com/wow/application-audio.html

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BBB's Lower Level Bear Tank Guide

Big Bear Butt has started a bear tanking guide for lower levels.  Here is the first part.  I would encourage all bear tanks to read this as BBB knows a great deal about feral druid tanking and gives great tips.
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/12/29/new-project-tanking-through-the-levels/

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Learn Healing and Pally Tanking UPDATED

The Blog-o-Sphere is all about how to heal and tank this week.  Big Bear Butt talks about paladin tanks and their mana (or lack thereof), and how they differ from other tank classes;
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/12/29/when-is-a-rockstar-tank-not-a-rockstar/

and Matticus talks about the healing lessons he learned from one quest when he was a wee little priesty.  The article is actually asking Blizzard to introduce class specific quests again but it tells you a lot of things a healer wants to watch for.
http://www.worldofmatticus.com/2009/12/28/7-important-healing-lessons-i-learned-from-1-quest/

UPDATE:  The difference between tank healing and single target healing.  Miss Medicina discusses various healing classes and how they handle these two roles.
http://missmedicina.blogspot.com/2010/03/healing-roles-single-target-vs-tank.html

Their information will help you play these roles a bit better and isn't the Solo MMO Player all about gathering these tips?

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Beast Mastery Hunter PvP Guide UPDATED

Huntsmans Lodge has started a beast mastry hunter PvP guide.  Part one (glyphs and talents) is up now.
http://huntsmanslodge.com/5318/bm-pvp-guide-talents-and-glyphs.htm

Part two (pets)
http://huntsmanslodge.com/5459/bm-pvp-guide-pets.htm

Part three (shot priorities)
http://huntsmanslodge.com/5479/bm-pvp-guide-part-3-shot-priority.htm

UDPATE:  A guide to the best PvP hunter pets as of Patch 3.3.3
http://huntsmanslodge.com/hunter-pvp-pets

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A Mount UI

If you are interested in a UI to handle your mounts, you will want to read about Equus Infinata.  Very specialized but if you have a lot of mounts, you may need something along these lines.  Besides, it is cool to have something that summons the fastest of your mounts for a certain location.
http://www.nostockui.com/2009/12/replace-your-mount-ui-with-equus-infinata/

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Haste Weapons for Resto Druids

Lissanna talks about the best haste weapons for resto druids and where to find them.
http://www.restokin.com/2009/12/haste-weapons-for-resto-druids/

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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

Want to laugh at raiding set to the song, "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas"?http://www.wow.com/2009/12/28/wow-moviewatch-its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-this-raid-isn/

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WOW Head's Completion Tracker

If you are interested in tracking how much of the game you have completed, WOW Head has a new tool for that.  WOW Insider describes it here.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/27/completion-tracker-and-more-from-wowhead/

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You Don't See This Every Day

Want to see an ogre pinata?
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/27/the-twelve-days-of-winter-veil-day-seven-loot-card-giveaway/

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Counting Down (Addons)

If you are interested in an addon that you can customize in many ways to monitor your cool downs for buffs and spells, you'll want to read about forteXorcist on the Stock UI site.
http://www.nostockui.com/2009/12/a-timer-for-everything-fortexorcist/

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Help for the Intermediate Healer

Want some healing advice that isn't geared toward beginners just learning their class?  This is the article for you.
http://www.worldofmatticus.com/2009/12/26/lets-get-reacquainted-with-healing/

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Healing Priest Trinket List for Patch 3.3

A list of healing priest trinkets current as of Patch 3.3.
http://bobturkey.wordpress.com/2009/12/26/healing-priest-trinkets-for-3-3/

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Beast Mastery Hunter Specs (Patch 3.3)

Beast mastery hunter specs for Patch 3.3
http://huntsmanslodge.com/5431/assembling-a-raiding-beast-master.htm

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RAWR Screen Shot Introduction

If you are interested in learning more about RAWR, the Greedy Goblin  has a nice explanation of how it works with plenty of screen shots here.  Note that the Solo MMO Player finds the math that underlies RAWR unclear and is suspicious about how well simulations of normalized data relate to an individual's play style.  In other words, RAWR is a black box.  They can be good, they can be absolutely useless.  One solid fact about black box technology is that you never know.  If you feel the same way, use PAWN instead.    
http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2009/12/your-christmas-present-is-rawr.html




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Protection Paladin Spec for Patch 3.3

http://killingemslowly.blogspot.com/2009/12/33-protection-paladin-spec.html

http://blessingofkings.blogspot.com/2010/03/ask-coriel-new-prot-paladin-spec.html

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Uldaman Issues Cropping Up in Dungeon Finder

The Hunters Mark explains exactly how Uldaman should work for the Looking for Group crowd.
http://www.thehuntersmark.net/2009/12/22/leveling-in-lfg-the-problem-with-uldaman/

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Frost Death Knight Specs in Patch 3.3

From stats through glyphs to rotations.
http://killingemslowly.blogspot.com/2009/12/33-dk-frost-dps-methodology.html

A bit about Icy Talons, a buff of interest to frost death knights.
http://pwnwear.com/2010/01/02/on-improved-icy-talons-melee-haste-buff/

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The Art of Being a Pallywhacker

The Solo MMO Player Speaks

The Solo MMO Player explained to me how to take advantage of bubble spells to kill paladins in PVP or Battlegrounds if you are a caster.  Kite them to get their health down a bit.  When the pally uses a bubble to heal, The Solo MMO Player smiles to himself and immediately stops attacking, re-shields, and restores his own health.

Do NOT beat on the bubble!  Stay out of any other line of fire and move a little closer to the pally so you can watch his bubble.   Now is the time to make any obscene gestures if you are so motivated.  The key is the pally loves it when you beat ineffectively on their bubble shield.  Don't fall into this trap.

Instead, the second the paladin's bubble disappears, the Solo MMO Player hits the pally with his biggest one-shot instant cast.  He resumes his rotation, and puts up any casting counter spells he has to suppress the pally's return fire, and continues to kite.  The pally will be at a 25-30% health loss differential and you will win if you throw the kitchen sink at the pally.  The bubbles have a cooldown period, so take advantage of this to kill the pally before they can re-bubble.  The paladin won't recover from the big one-shot damage you hit them with in the beginning, giving you the win.

The Solo MMO Player was taught this by a pally-killer female priest who could kill retribution paladins quicker than swatting flies.

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Mage Crowd Control (Twink Edition)

Fiery Weapons (a blog for twinks) talks about playing a mage, with the emphasis on how crowd control (CC) spells work in PvE and PvP, and how talent points, glyphs and enchants improve CC.
http://fieryweapons.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/how-to-play-a-mage-cc-edition/

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Gear for Warriors in Patch 3.3 (Icecrown Citadel and Level 80s)

Tank Like a Girl lists gear appropriate for a new Level 80 protection warrior in Patch 3.3.
http://www.tanklikeagirl.com/2009/12/22/pre-raid-shopping-list-the-3-3-edition

Here's a list of Icecrown Citadel weapons for warriors.
http://www.tankingtips.com/2010/01/14/the-world-of-weapons/

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Icecrown Citadel Gear for Retribution Paladins

http://rhida.ch/2009/12/18/icecrown-first-wing-loot-and-emblem-of-frost-pick-order-list/

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Video Guide to Better (and Faster) Raiding

WOW Insider is doing a retrospective of great articles about the game in 2009, including these two videos about raiding faster.  It is full of good tips for raiders, whether you are a speed demon or not.  (This is from February 2009, so some things may have changed.)
http://www.wow.com/2009/02/20/a-video-guide-to-faster-raiding/

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Rogue Bomb Squad

I didn't know that rogues could see traps and can disarm them when in stealth mode.  Why do you care?  There are traps in the new Icecrown Citadel content of Patch 3.3.
http://foreveranoob.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/disarm-traps-is-that-on-my-toolbar/

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Priest Theorycrafting in Patch 3.3

BobTurkey has written a series of great articles about priests on his blog.  There are to be six articles full of important stats for all types of priests.  I'll update this with links to each entry as they are posted.

Introduction
http://bobturkey.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/priest-theorycrafting-for-3-3-introduction-part-1/

Mana Regeneration
http://bobturkey.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/priest-theorycrafting-for-3-3-mana-regeneration-part-2/

Mana Pool
http://bobturkey.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/priest-theorycrafting-for-3-3-mana-pool-part-3/

Haste Rating
http://bobturkey.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/priest-theorycrafting-for-3-3-haste-rating-part-4/

Critical Rating
http://bobturkey.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/priest-theorycrafting-for-3-3-critical-rating-part-5/

LootRank and PAWN Values
http://bobturkey.wordpress.com/2009/12/24/priest-theorycrafting-for-3-3-summary-part-6/

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Casino Royale Wrath of the Lich King

Machinima homage to James Bond.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/21/wow-moviewatch-wrath-of-the-lich-king-casino-royale-style/

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Jousting as a Tank in Patch 3.3

Strategies on tanking as a feral druid bear in the Argent Tournament. Some mention of the jousting tank bug.
http://thebearflank.blogspot.com/2009/12/jousting-33.html

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The Role of Guilds in Obtaining Loot

Cold Comfort goes over the role of guilds throughout the history of WOW when it comes to picking up gear.  This is slanted towards guild leaders but it's interesting for solo players who don't belong to a  guild or history buffs just for background.
http://blog.cold-comfort.org/loot-accessibility-role-guilds/

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Resto and Moonkin Druid Gear Differences

Differences between moonkin and resto druid gear in Patch 3.3
http://www.restokin.com/2009/12/what-is-the-difference-between-moonkin-resto-loot/

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Patch 3.3 and the Resto Druid

A discussion of how Patch 3.3 changes to haste scale with cast time for the resto druid.
http://druidheal.com/?p=663

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Paladin Sites

MorninStar tries to collect pally information in one place.  He seems particularly strong on retribution and protection pally information but this site isn't updated often.  However, the few postings seem pertinent and useful.
http://paladincraft.net/

Another paladin site, specific for retribution paladins.
http://www.retpaladin.com/

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Lower Level Tanking Information

I'm not quite sure how tanking at a lower level differs from a higher level tank, but WOW Insider has done a long series about tools for tanking at a lower level.  Part one is dungeons, gear and stats.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/05/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-the-low-level-tank-part-1/

Talents
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/12/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-the-low-level-tank-part-2/

Skills
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/19/the-light-and-how-to-swing-it-the-low-level-tank-part-3/

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Gearing a Patch 3.3 Mage

WOW Insider writes about gear choices for mages after Patch 3.3.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/19/arcane-brilliance-gearing-up-after-the-glorious-patch-3-3/

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The Self-Sufficient Crafting Project

Thanks to Tobold, I found Morvelaira's crafting project, which is to max out all professions on one server.  Here's the outline of the project.  Follow this blog to watch the project.
http://morvelaira.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/where-to-start/

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Too Many Addons?

Matticus shares a tip he got about a macro that shows what interactive visual element is up on your screen.
http://www.nostockui.com/2009/12/how-to-find-out-what-addon-is-on-your-screen/

The Solo MMO Player says if you don't know what addon is up, you have too many.  But if you are an addon addict, you'll use this.

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Affliction Warlocks and Patch 3.3

Velief has written about affliction warlocks and Patch 3.3 here.
http://veliaf.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/impressions-of-patch-3-3/

You also might want to see his posting about warlock changes in Patch 3.3
http://veliaf.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/patch-3-3-warlock-changes/

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Patch 3.3 Retribution Paladin FAQ

MMO Champion has a nice FAQ about Patch 3.3 retribution paladins that was last updated in late November 2009.
http://www.mmo-champion.com/class-paladin/patch-3-2-retribution-paladin-faq/

Here's a Patch 3.3 gear list for retribution pallys.
http://morrighan13.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/retribution-paladin-gear-list-3-3-ed-head/

Another Patch 3.3 gear lists with a link to a spreadsheet.
http://morrighan13.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/retribution-gear-list-3-3-ed-neck/

The updated version of the links above.
http://morrighan13.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/retribution-gear-list-3-3-ed-chest/

http://morrighan13.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/retribution-gear-list-3-3-ed-shoulders/

http://morrighan13.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/retribution-gear-list-3-3-ed-back/

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Patch 3.3 for Death Knights (Gear)

The first part is gear in the new content Death Knights want to watch out for.
http://chillofthegrave.blogspot.com/2009/12/its-just-gear-you-want-part-1.html

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Raid Communication Patched (Patch 3.3, Addons)

Patch 3.3 has brought changes to in-game raid communication. WOW Insider explains. Note the requests for an addon that copies a boss strategy into chat.  If you know of one, post in the comments section please.  I'm not a big fan of following a script for each boss battle but having a general idea of what will happen helps shape group strategy and keeps folks new to the battle from being totally lost the first time through.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/17/more-options-for-party-communication/

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Blizzard Balances Wintergrasp

WOW Insider links to Blizzard's statement on how they plan to fix Wintergrasp on realms where there are way more Alliance (or Horde) players than the opposing side.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/17/wintergrasp-defense-offense-on-unbalanced-realms/

UPDATE: A player's reaction
http://www.holypaladin.net/index.php/wintergrasp-imbalance

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For The Green Berets

"Silver wings on his chest" refers to the paratrooper wings badge one gets on becoming jump qualified.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/17/wow-moviewatch-ballad-of-the-green-beret/

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Hit Ratings for Twinks

An analysis of hit ratings and tricks to increase it.
http://fieryweapons.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/stat-analysis-hit-rating/

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Strategies for Icecrown Citadel

Quick tactics for 10 and 25 man normal runs through the Lower Spire in Icecrown Citadel.
http://morrighan13.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/icc-lower-spire-10-and-25-man-normal-crib-sheet/

Balance Druids in Crimson Halls and Lower Spire (Heroics)
http://www.wow.com/2010/09/03/shifting-perspectives-heroic-icc-for-balance-druids-lower-sp/

All of Heroic ICC for the Balance Druid
http://wow.danomatic.com/thedailydruid/2010/09/07/patch-3-3-heroic-icc-strats-for-balance-druids/

http://www.wow.com/2010/09/10/shifting-perspectives-heroic-icc-for-balance-druids-plaguewo/

Feral cats (druids) in ICC
http://jacemora.com/raiding-as-feral/a-short-guide-to-kitty-dps-in-icc-lower-spire/

Warlocks tips for ICC (part one)
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/21/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-icecrown-citadel-part-1/

Warriors in ICC (part one)
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/18/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-warriors-in-icecrown-citadel/

Warriors in ICC (part two)
http://www.wow.com/2010/01/02/the-care-and-feeding-of-warriors-warriors-in-icecrown-citdadel/

Lord Marrowgar (boss battle)
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/18/ready-check-lord-marrowgar/#continued

Lord Marrowgar (for frost mages)
http://spicytunas.com/2009/12/frost-mage-pve-lord-marrowgar/

Gunship Battle (for frost mages)
http://spicytunas.com/2010/02/frost-mage-pve-gunship-battle/

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Casting Shield Testing

Miss Medicina is building on Matticus' analysis of which bubble absorbs damage first and describes the process here.
http://missmedicina.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-science-fair-experiment.html

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Bear Tankatude

Big Bear Butt comments he rarely sees other bear tanks while doing PUG Heroics.  I'm posting his article about bear tanks and how great they are so you can see Tesh's terrific artwork (above, links to his game blog and art portfolio are on BBB's site below)  and because I love the comment where paladins are called Pallywhackers.  By the way, the Solo MMO Player loves his bear tank.

http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/12/16/do-you-have-bear-tankatude/

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Patch 3.3 Changes for Hunter Pets

Patch 3.3 changes in cower and how to use them to control your pets.  All solo players should read carefully what little he says about how this will change your game play.
http://outdps.com/2009/12/16/how-to-use-the-new-cower/

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What I Want for Christmas (Piloting Ulduar's Demolisher)

Karthias explains how to pilot a demolisher, which is one of the vehicles in Ulduar. (Sounds like the perfect commuter vehicle to me.)
http://teethandclaws.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-pilot-demolisher.html

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Bubble Flow Chart for a Discipline Priest UPDATED To Including Healing

Kivuli's bubble flow chart for discipline priests, posted on Amber's "I Like Bubbles" blog. Bubbles apparently are spells that enclose your character in a protective bubble so you can heal or run away. They are part of the Oh Shit buttons per the Solo MMO Player.
http://forthebubbles.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/how-to-bubble/

UPDATE: Another flow chart, this one for healers.

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Ice Crown Citadel Tips for Rogues

http://www.wow.com/2009/12/16/encrypted-text-rogue-tips-for-raiding-icecrown-citadel-part-1/

http://www.wow.com/2010/01/20/encrypted-text-rogue-tips-for-raiding-icecrown-citadel-part-2/

http://www.wow.com/2010/01/27/encrypted-text-rogue-tips-for-raiding-icecrown-citadel-part-3/

http://www.wow.com/2010/02/10/encrypted-text-rogue-tips-for-raiding-icecrown-citadel-part-4/

Forever a Noob talks about raid and rogue strategies for beating Deathbringer Saurfang in the first section of Icecrown Citadel.  Check other postings listed at the end of this article for similar information for other areas.
http://foreveranoob.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/a-rogue-in-icecrown-citadel-deathbringer-saurfang/

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Dungeon Finder Requirements

WOW Insider discusses the dungeon finder gear level requirements and other basics of how the system works.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/16/wow-rookie-gearing-up-with-the-lfg-feature/#continued

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Guildwatch: The Ninjia Video Edition

This week's Guildwatch features a ninja.  Let me quote Mike Schramm here, "Over on Dath'remar, Tuffauzy of Heavy Artillery put together a pickup group for the big black dragon, and once the dragon was down, he proceeded to go AFK, with no reason at all given. After about 15 minutes, most of the raiders had split and left the group, but four people hung around, waiting for loot to be distributed. We're told Tuffauzy then re-appeared, grabbed all the loot for himself, hearthed to Dalaran, and logged off. Pretty wild. So not only did you take all of the loot, but you made people sit around for 15 minutes before you did it -- why? Because you thought they would leave and you wouldn't lose your reputation? Interesting procedure there."
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/16/guildwatch-were-over-applications-too/

In honor of ninjas in the new content, here is a slightly raunchy machinima from Nymh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqWyBWM5B64

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You Know You Are Undergeared When...

You know you may be undergeared in the Northrend when you run the Gear Wish List app and your Kaluk fishing pole comes up as your top weapon.

True story says the Solo MMO Player with a deep sigh.

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Video Interview: Arena Player

WOW Insider hosts an interview with a high level arena team player from a Microsoft website.  Part advertising, part informational.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/15/a-chat-with-check-six-wow-arena-team/

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Solo MMO Player Speaks: Ring of Champions Clutter-Busting

The Solo MMO Player Speaks

There's no need to rush into the Ring of Champions (or any leveling phase of the Argent Tournament) and cause a traffic pile-up.  Have a little patience.  There's no rule against a unmounted player on the sidelines assisting a mounted player in taking down an opponent.  Then you can switch places and sit on the sidelines for a bit while someone else takes a turn.

Helping someone who needs a bit of assistance (whether they are in your own guild or not) is a beneficial policy for everyone.  Friendly assistance from the sidelines helps clear the crowd out.  Everyone will get through it faster if players aren't jousting across each other's paths.  More experienced players won't be frustrated at the wait and jump in; less experienced players will be helped to win in a shorter time.

We need to start improving our behavior overall in WOW.  Exert patience, you'll get help when you need it, and give help when someone else needs it.  If you want to practice new skills, it's much better to schedule jousting in off-peak tournament playing hours if your schedule permits.  None of us want the Argent Tournament to end up looking like the World Wrestling Federation's tag team matches.  We'll all gain more enjoyment out of the Argent Tournament challenge if we are considerate.

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Stabled Pet Bug (Patch 3.3)

It sounds as if this Patch 3.3 bug is just effects hunter pets to me.  Here is the fix and a link to a long explanation of the problem.
http://outdps.com/2009/12/15/call-stabled-pet-bug-fix/

More on the problem and fix.
http://forums.brigwyn.com/viewtopic.php?f=147&t=2638

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Big Blue Dress (Machinima for Mages)

Why does a mage have to wear a blue dress?  This very popular classic inspired the hunter song machinima in the second link.
http://www.wow.com/2008/04/14/wow-moviewatch-big-blue-dress/

http://www.wow.com/2009/12/15/wow-moviewatch-im-a-hunter/

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Feral Druid Cat Gear Loot List

List of cat feral druid gear from Patch 3.2 and Coliseum.
http://wowthinktank.blogspot.com/2009/09/druid-cats-32coliseum-loot-ranking.html

http://wowthinktank.blogspot.com/2009/12/druid-icecrown-gear-list-for-cats.html

Hit gear for cats (Patch 3.3)
http://feralaggression.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/hit-gear-choices-for-the-3-3-kitty/

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Holy Paladin Mana Regen and Intellect

Codi talks holy pally mana regen and intellect.

http://moarhps.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/holy-paladin-mana-regen-mp5-vs-crit-vs-int/

http://moarhps.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/intellect-why-its-that-good-for-healadins/

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Feral Cat Druids in Patch 3.3 and Patch 3.2

Information summary about feral cats in Patch 3.3
http://feralaggression.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/3-3-kitty-summary/

Rotation for feral cats.
http://thebearflank.blogspot.com/2010/01/kitty-spec.html

Because all this is so new, I'm posting Vallen 's information about kitties in Patch 3.2 as well.

Patch 3.2 Preview
http://feralaggression.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/3-2-kitties-what-you-need-to-know/

Patch 3.2 Summary
http://feralaggression.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/3-2-kitty-summary/

Patch 3.2.2 Nerf on Armor Penetration
http://feralaggression.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/3-2-2-arp-nerf-you/

Here is Vallen's spec
http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-calc.xml?cid=11&tal=0000000000000000000000000000523202032322010053120030313511203503012000000000000000000

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Comparing Haste to GDC for Druids

http://dreambound-druid.blogspot.com/2009/12/whats-your-resto-gcd.html

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Tanking as a Hunter

Tanking as a hunter.
http://huntsmanslodge.com/4967/tanking-101-for-hunters.htm

Helping tanks as a hunter.
http://www.brigwyn.com/2009/12/18/hunters-can-help-tanks-manage-aggro-without-losing-dps/

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Gearing Your Cat Druid at Level 80

A two part article form February/March 2009.
http://www.wow.com/2009/02/24/shifting-perspectives-gearing-your-cat-druid-at-80-part-1/

http://www.wow.com/2009/03/24/shifting-perspectives-gearing-your-cat-druid-at-80-part-2/

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The Greatfather Winter Song (Winter Veil)

Singing!  Dancing!  Mistletoe!  Happy Winter's Veil.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/14/wow-moviewatch-greatfather-winter/

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Most Popular Professions and Gems

Zardoz of the Amory Data Mining site has new charts up showing the popularity of various professions and gems.
http://armorydatamining.appspot.com/general?t=RandomWalkDownStormwindStreet

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Sit Down and Shut Up (and Reactions)

WOW Insider says we all had better sit down and shut up on the forums or folks like Ghostcrawler will stop talking with players and perhaps responding to complaints.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/12/how-the-wow-community-is-about-to-push-the-self-destruct-button/#continued

UPDATE:  WOW Insider explains why you can't say anything you want and it isn't a violation of free speech.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/14/why-you-dont-have-freedom-of-speech-in-wow/

There are plenty of valid criticisms to be made of the game (cough *Arena* cough).  I think WOW Insider is saying these are being buried by abusive postings on the forums.  On the other hand, the volume of angry postings described above means a lot of players are very unhappy.  That's something Blizzard needs to take note of.

Pink Pigtail Inn isn't too pleased by what WOW Insider's posting implies.
http://www.pinkpigtailinn.com/2009/12/reply-to-adam.html

Neither does Broken Toys.
http://brokentoys.org/2009/02/16/i-was-in-the-room-at-the-time-and-yes-that-was-a-good-answer/

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Dual Specs for Arcane/Frost Mages?

Although the Solo MMO Player hasn't theory crafted any of this, it looks to him that the Patch 3.3 changes for PvE casters has made a dual spec for arcane/frost mages an excellent combination if you can afford it.  You'll get two unique things:  Arcane mages have mobility and high burst, single shot DPS for a raiding environment.  Frost mages have new improved AOE talents that allow you to cover the battlefield or some raid environments.  A combo arcane/frost mage is something he's going to evaluate carefully.  The improvements in the frost mage tree spec that came with Patch 3.3 have been very impressive.  His frost mage went toe to toe with a Level 80 death knight and killed it last night.  The AoE casting spells are very effective in knocking down an opponent.

Any thoughts?

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Arcane Mages in PvP

General PvE and PvP tactics for an arcane mage (undated from the WOW Wiki).
http://www.wowwiki.com/Mage_tactics

Arcane mages in PvP with videos (March 2009).
http://spicytunas.com/2009/03/arcane-mage-pvp-never-give-up/

Arcane mages in PvP (May 2009 and Patch 3.1).
http://www.wow.com/2009/05/02/arcane-brilliance-pvping-as-an-arcane-mage-after-3-1/

Arcane mage spec for Level 80 PvP (dated December 2008).
http://www.mmo-champion.com/class-mage/thoughts-on-arcane-pvp-spec-80/

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Mages in Patch 3.3

Tachyon talks about the arcane mage in Patch 3.3.  Tier 10 set bonues for the arcane mage.
http://www.frostnova.ch/tachyon/blogArticle.do?action=view&id=37027840

Arcane mage guide.
http://www.frostnova.ch/tachyon/blogArticle.do?action=view&id=35487744

Changes in Patch 3.3 to the arcane mage.
http://www.frostnova.ch/tachyon/blogArticle.do?action=view&topic=3.2.2+Arcane+Mage+Changes

Theorycraafting the arcane mage in Patch 3.2.2
http://www.frostnova.ch/tachyon/blogArticle.do?action=view&id=34701312

Mage Leveling Guide (Frost and Arcane)
http://psynister.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/mage-leveling-part-i-beginning/

http://psynister.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/mage-leveling-part-ii-21-39/

http://psynister.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/aoe-grinding-frost-mage-edition/

http://psynister.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/mage-leveling-part-iii-40-58/

http://psynister.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/mage-leveling-part-iv-58-68-frost-amp-arcane/

http://psynister.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/mage-leveling-final-68-80-frost-arcane/

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The Default Mini Map Won't Go Away

Patch 3.3 seems to have removed the ability to turn off the default mini map.  The Solo MMO Player hasn't been able to find an Off button in the interface, so has been typing the following command in the Say command line.  Note the upper and lower case letters and the spaces.  Also there is no space between the opening paragraph symbol ( and the closing ) which is why it looks like a zero below)

/script MinimapCluster:Hide()

Apparently the command to turn it back on is the following, but the Solo MMO Player hasn't tested this.

/script MinimapCluster:Show()

I found these commands on the WOW Wiki.  I'm still looking for a permanent fix as this has to be typed every time you log into a character.  It doesn't work across all characters and the mini map will be back the next time you log in.

The Solo MMO Player tried to make a macro using the above commands minus the /script part but says that doesn't work.  By the way, Blizzard's Patch notes for 3.3 has some info about changes to the map.  It's about half way down the page.
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/

The above info rewritten.
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/underdev/3p3/newquestui.xml

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The Basics of Druid Twinking in PvP

Learn all about it here.
http://fieryweapons.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/druid-twinking-warsong-gulch/

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Feral Druid Guide (with Videos)

Thorough guide to playing a feral druid.  Note that it is current as of Patch 3.2.2, not last week's Patch 3.3 (not yet anyway--give them time).
http://www.tankspot.com/forums/f200/40502-wotlk-feral-druid-guide.html

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The Best Gear from Ice Crown Citadel

Nice analysis of the best Ice Crown Citadel gear for tanking bear feral druids.
http://mother-bear.blogspot.com/2009/12/news-update-armory-lists-all-icc-items.html

http://mother-bear.blogspot.com/2009/12/33-rings-necks-trinkets-caps-and-emblem.html

The best Ice Crown Citadel gear for feral cat druids.
http://wowthinktank.blogspot.com/2009/12/druidbest-non-set-piece-for-cats-in.html

Best Ice Crown Citadel gear for feral bear druids.
http://wowthinktank.blogspot.com/2010/01/druid-icecrown-gear-list-for-bears.html

Best hunter loot
http://www.thehuntersmark.net/2009/12/11/hunter-loot-from-icecrown-citadel-raids/

http://www.wow.com/2010/01/07/scattered-shots-its-all-hunter-loot-in-icc-part-1/

http://www.wow.com/2010/01/14/scattered-shots-its-all-hunter-loot-in-icc-part-2/

Best retribution paladin drops
http://rhida.ch/2009/12/18/icecrown-first-wing-loot-and-emblem-of-frost-pick-order-list/

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CAT AND BEAR TOOLS FOR THE MATH MINDED

Loot weighting discussion for cat and bear-flavored druids from April 2009 (Patch 3.1).  Read the comments, too.
http://teethandclaws.blogspot.com/2009/04/loot-weighting-for-31.html

Here is a direct link to the worksheet in the article.  Note the tabs at the bottom so you can choose raw or normalized data.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=rXOB-tOrwruDI_iCE9l0I7g

From December 2008, here is a feral gear worksheet.  Notes about the worksheet.
http://teethandclaws.blogspot.com/2008/12/feral-gear-worksheet-for-wotlk.html

This link to the worksheet is for Mixed Rankings.  There are tabs at the bottom for cat only and bear only.  The location section was not done.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pdnkV0444wHn_grOhx1RkNg

Cat/bear simulation tool from Elitist Jerks.
http://elitistjerks.com/f73/t49702-feralbynight_cat_bear_simulation_tool/

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UPDATE: Is Your Camera Wonky After Patch 3.3?

Here is a possible fix for a camera that won't look where you want it to.
http://underct.com/2009/12/08/3-3-camera-bug-auto-adjusts-fix/

More information.  WOW Wiki says the Patch 3.2 default camera view was "only horizontal when moving" and that the Patch 3.3 default camera view is now "only when moving."
http://www.wowwiki.com/Patch_3.3.0_(undocumented_changes)

UPDATE:  Apparently this has been hot fixed, at least now one needs to have the camera set to the Patch 3.3 default camera view of "only when moving."  Resetting the default to Patch 3.2's is now causing the Solo MMO Player to have camera problems.  So he's now using the Patch 3.3 default.  In other words, using the Patch 3.2 default removed the issues initially but now you need to use the Patch 3.3 default for the camera as new issues cropped up.  Sorry for the confusion!

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Replacing Squawk and Awe with Power Aura Classic (Addons)

Relevart's Druid Reliquary advocates replacing the addon Squawk and Awe (which apparently is no longer being supported) with Power Auras Classic.  He explains just how to do this here for his fellow moonkins, including a list of his auras.
http://druidreliquary.blogspot.com/2009/12/moving-past-squawk-and-awe-power-auras.html

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WOW By the Numbers

WOW Insider alerts us to a graphic about various WOW stats:  How many quests finished per second, number of items, number of players, etc.  I am a bit skeptical as to how accurate the numbers are, but it is a fun thing to view.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/10/the-world-of-warcraft-in-numbers/

You can find the graphic here.
http://www.bme.eu.com/news/world-of-warcraft/

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Dungeon Finder Guide UPDATED (Looking for Group)

I'm reposting WOW Insider's guide to the new "dungeon finder" looking for group function in Patch 3.3.  Note the photo gallery of screenshots at the end of section two for more information.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/08/patch-3-3-the-dungeon-finder-guide/

Here are a few answers to questions.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/07/dungeon-finder-tool-mini-faq/

Another take on how this works.
http://freewowguide.org/patch-3-3-the-dungeon-finder-guide/

What to do if you are stuck at the beginning.
http://www.worldofraids.com/wow-blue-tracker/us-forums/21730602885-dungeon-finder-fails-15-minute-debuff.html

UPDATE:  Hots and Dots lists the things you need to know.
http://www.hotsdots.com/2009/12/15-things-you-should-know-about-the-dungeon-finder/

UPDATE #2:  Some tips and tricks for using the system.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/12/dungeon-finder-tricks-and-tips/#continued

UPDATE #3:  Tobold says "Hint: If the group needs to gather the new arrival at the entrance of the instance, using the eye icon next to your mini-map to first teleport out of dungeon and than back in is the fastest way to get everyone together at the entrance."
http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2009/12/dungeon-finder-and-ninja-looting.html

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Advice for a New PvP Druid

Restokin has a guest posting with tips for a new druid leveling on a PvP server.  This covers Levels 10-19.
http://www.restokin.com/2009/12/leveling-a-druid-pvp-from-10-to-19/

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Clearcasting's Mouse of Doom

Arioch (who I believe plays a mage and priest) compensates for the loss of function in her left hand by key binding spells to her letters instead of numbers and uses the "Mouse of Doom" for other spells and functions.
http://clearcasting.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/the-keys-that-bind/

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Patch 3.3 Class Information

I'm starting to compile a list of good Patch 3.3 resources for the various classes.  Here is what I have so far.  Feel free to tell me about more good info in the Comments.

Arcane Mages
http://criticalqq.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/your-patch-3-3-survival-guide/

Frost Mage talents
http://spicytunas.com/2009/12/guide-to-frost-pve-talents/

Frost Mage glyphs for PvE
http://spicytunas.com/2009/12/guide-to-frost-pve-glyphs/

Pre-raid Hunter gear
http://outdps.com/2009/12/11/pre-raid-hunter-gear-guide-updated-for-3-3/

How to choose the right hunter spec
http://www.wow.com/2010/05/20/scattered-shots-what-spec-should-i-use/#continued

Resto Druids' healing guides
http://www.restokin.com/2009/12/blog-3-3-healing-guide-now-updated/

http://druidheal.com/?page_id=200

Death Knight specs for DPS
http://www.skeletonjack.com/2009/12/08/live-3-3-death-knight-specs-dk-dps/

Rogues' gear guide
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/09/encrypted-text-rogue-gear-guide-for-patch-3-3/

Shamans, part one
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/12/totem-talk-patch-3-3-and-shamans-part-1/

Shamans, part two
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/17/totem-talk-patch-3-3-and-shamans-part-2-how-not-to-pug/

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Icecrown Resources

WOW Insider is writing many articles about the new Icecrown Citadel inside Patch 3.3.  Here's a short list. First, the lore.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/08/the-lore-of-patch-3-3/

Raid boss resources and info.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/08/patch-3-3-icecrown-citadel-raid-boss-informaiton-and-resources/

Attunement and gating in Patch 3.3
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/08/wrath-101-attunement-and-gating-in-patch-3-3/

How to find Frozen Halls.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/08/patch-3-3-how-to-find-the-frozen-halls/

Frozen Halls Walkthrough (attunement)
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/08/frozen-halls-5-man-dungeon-attunement-walkthrough/

How Dungeon Finder (that's the Looking for Group function) works.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/08/patch-3-3-the-dungeon-finder-guide/

Guide to the first four bosses of Icecrown Citadel's lower citadel for resto druids.
http://dreambound-druid.blogspot.com/2009/12/ic10-lower-citadel-for-resto-druids.html

Guide to the introductory Ice Crown Citadel quests.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/13/ready-check-icecrown-citadel-introduction-quests/

Hunter tips for ICC
http://outdps.com/2009/12/14/icecrown-tips-for-hunters/

http://www.wow.com/2010/01/28/scattered-shots-hunting-the-plagueworks-in-icc/

Hunters tanking Keleseth--
http://outdps.com/2010/02/01/tanking-keleseth/

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The Battle for Wintergrasp

WOW Insider posted a good series about Wintergrasp in 2008.
http://www.wow.com/2008/12/14/wrath-101-wintergrasp-zone-overview/

http://www.wow.com/2008/12/18/wrath-101-the-battle-for-wintergrasp/

http://www.wow.com/2008/12/18/wrath-101-the-battle-for-wintergrasp-continued/

http://www.wow.com/2008/12/20/wrath-101-the-vault-of-archavon/

http://www.wow.com/2009/04/05/the-art-of-war-craft-wintergrasp-in-patch-3-1-and-beyond-ii/

http://www.wow.com/2009/05/17/the-art-of-war-craft-is-wintergrasp-too-successful-for-its-own/

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WOW Profiler

The FAQ page explains how to use the WOW Profiler.http://www.wowhead.com/?blog=99038

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Patch 3.3 and the Mage

WOW Insider's Arcane Brilliance column writes this week about mages and Patch 3.3 changes.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/07/arcane-brilliance-wow-patch-3-3-primer-for-mages/

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How to Run a Guild Bank

Matticus is doing a series of guest posts on various blogs.  For Warcraft Econ, he talks about how to run a guild's bank, all the way from setting up a bank for your guild to dismantling a bank if the guild is disbanding.  Good basic information!
http://www.warcraftecon.net/?p=2025

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Tanks and Their Glass Ceiling

Yesterday's posting about Gear Pollution has been immediately followed by a new posting from Honor's Code about tanks and their glass ceiling today.  Game design decisions seem to be interesting a lot of players, perhaps because we are close to a major patch and know that Cataclysm will hit sometime next year.
http://honorscode.blogspot.com/2009/12/glass-ceiling-for-tanks.html

Pwnwear's original tanking post that sparked this interest is here.
http://pwnwear.com/2009/11/19/number-of-tanks-required-a-game-design-issue/

If these sorts of postings interest you, search on "game design" at the top left area of the page to find more.

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Lore (with Spoilers)

This morning found two postings that center on WOW lore.  The first is full of spoilers!  WOW Insider points us to Scrolls of Lore which has compiled all sorts of worgen starting zone information from the tidbits that Blizzard has dropped. I'm linking to WOW Insider instead of directly to Scrolls of Lore so you can decide just how much you want to read before Cataclysm hits.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/04/worgen-starting-zone-preview-from-scrolls-of-lore/

World of Matticus' had a nice article up about that details the history of legendary weapons in the game with some lore background about each.  You can read a bit about weapons that were greatly lusted over in the original version of the game all the way up to the new Shadowmourne two handed axe.
http://www.worldofmatticus.com/2009/12/04/return-of-the-truly-legendary-items/

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Guides to Playing a Mage (and Laughing)

Thanks to the Hots and Dots column just mentioned below, I have some new mage guides for players to browse.  First up is Psynister's Notebook which has a recent (October 2009) multi-part series that was recommended as excellent for leveling mages.  Only the first two parts are up so this only goes to Level 39.  I'll add new articles as they appear.  Note that there are other guides on this site for Druids, Hunters, Paladins and Shamans.  Click on the Guides tab to see them.
http://psynister.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/mage-leveling-part-i-beginning/

http://psynister.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/mage-leveling-part-ii-21-39/

http://psynister.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/mage-leveling-part-iii-40-58/

The mages at Empowered Fire have a guide to playing a mage once you hit Level 80 (November 2009).  Besides specs for the various types of mages, they have a list of instances that offer good gear for mages and list crafted items also.
http://www.empoweredfire.com/2009/11/02/ding-80-now-what-the-guide/

They also have a mage leveling guide (October 2009),
http://www.empoweredfire.com/2009/10/23/mage-leveling-guide/

plus a raiding guide for mages in Patch 3.2,
http://www.empoweredfire.com/2009/10/05/mage-raiding-guide-3-2-2/

AND a guide for Arcane Mages in Patch 3.2.  I know Patch 3.3 is likely to hit next week but you still may want to read this information as it is current.
http://www.empoweredfire.com/2009/10/05/arcane-in-3-2-2/

They also host this hilarious video of how to play a mage.  Even I (and I don't play WOW) fell over laughing while watching it.
http://www.empoweredfire.com/2009/11/19/how-to-play-a-mage/

The Empowered Fire ladies are my favorite mage site of the day!

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Where Have All the Mages Gone?

Cassandri over at Hots and Dots says her guild can't find any mages.   She wonders if it is just her realm or if mages and warlocks are not played much these days.
http://www.hotsdots.com/2009/12/mages/

The comments led me to several good mage sources which I'll post separately.  Thanks to all Cassandri's readers for help!

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Arcane Mage Guide to PvE

From the WOW Forums, a guide to the arcane mage (with rotation).
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=19820881780&sid=1

Another arcane mage guide to PvE from October 2009 (Patch 3.2.2)
http://www.frostnova.ch/tachyon/blogArticle.do?action=view&id=35487744

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Mages at 80: Guide to Raiding

From the WOW Forums, a guide to playing a Level 80 mage (dated December 2009).
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=18031073739&sid=1

Guide to end game raiding for mages (dated June 2009).
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=18031238370&sid=1

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Mage PvP Tips for Battlegrounds

Undated but extensive tips for mages doing PvP against specific classes.  Note the other mage guides in left hand column.  (Most seem outdated to me.)
http://www.epic-warcraft.com/magepvpguide.php

Tips for mages playing PVP on the battleground, dated April 2008.
http://internet-games.suite101.com/article.cfm/wow_mage_pvp_guide

Solo mage tips from the same site.  Very basic.
http://videoonlinegames.suite101.com/article.cfm/wow_mage_tips

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Gear Pollution and Raid Progression (with Charts!)

Fascinating discussion of how Blizzard has designed raids in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.  If you are interested in game design, read this.
http://wowhats.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/gear-pollution/

UPDATE:  Codi adds to the discussion on the topic of Rewards.
http://moarhps.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/re-gear-pollution/

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Ten Ton Hammer Feral Druid Guide

Ten Ton Hammer talks feral druids in this installment of their theory crafting guide to various classes (dated September 2009).
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74432

They've also recently done a general druid gear guide.  It doesn't look as useful to me but new druids might want to take a look at it.
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/classes/druid/equipment

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Gear BEFORE Level 80: The Tools

Gnomeaggedon has written a nice guide to choosing gear before you hit Level 80.  It covers it all, using WOW Head to create a profile, how lower level is often better than new stuff, why agonizing over gear is silly, etc.
http://gnomeaggedon.net/2009/11/26/minmaxing-gear-before-80-part-1/

Using RAWR and Character Profiler and creating a spreadsheet of your characters and their gear.
http://gnomeaggedon.net/2009/11/27/minmaxing-gear-before-80-part-2/

More on spreadsheets and building an upgrade list.
http://gnomeaggedon.net/2009/11/30/minmaxing-gear-before-80-part-3/

You can always find this again by searching for "gear guides" using the search box at the top left corner of the page.  Many thanks to WOW Insider for pointing me to this resource.

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Why Solo an MMO?

Tobold posted a provocative question about why anyone who wants to solo plays an MMO in the first place on his blog.  He thinks it might be cheaper to play single player games.  The comments are very interesting, especially since I didn't see anyone talk about the immaturity level of players that makes groups and guilds difficult to participate in, at least on the Solo MMO Player's realm.  There are so many kids that even the most fundamental organization before a raid is impossible. Most guilds are not raiding on the Solo MMO's realm either, making raiding solo the only viable alternative.  Many thanks to Miss Medicina for pointing this out to me.
http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2009/12/thought-for-day-soloing.html

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Guildwatch the Sexist Edition

This week's Guildwatch is full of charity fundraisers and a guild member with a broken femur and hip in an accident in his basement calling for help via Vent since he couldn't make it to the telephone.  Very dull, though praiseworthy.

However, one guild applicant who did well in the audition raid and in his application to Pitch Black was turned down, then turned on the guild and called them names, including "little girls."  Sexist statement of the week.  I'll have to introduce him to the little girls I know so they can peck his eyes out.
http://www.wow.com/2009/12/02/guildwatch-you-guys-raid-like-little-girls/

As always there is plenty of recruiting and downing of instances but not on the Solo MMO Player's realm.

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Beginners' Video Tips on Increasing DPS

Kae at Dreambound has found an interesting video by Kripparrian about DPS with tips on cool downs, casting, latency, keybinding and more. Although Kripparrian is a hunter, these tips are good for any class. Many thanks to Kae for posting this link and summarizing what's in the video so well!
http://dreambound-druid.blogspot.com/2009/12/link-how-to-do-top-dps.html

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Save the Murlocs

The image is from the Hot Topic site.  Don't miss the video in the link below.
http://kotaku.com/5415896/dehta-urges-you-to-save-the-murlocs

While you are busy shopping WOW merchandise, don't miss the Pandaren statue at Blizzard's online store.  The tabs at the top of the page will take you to t-shirts and baseball hats, books, etc.
http://us.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=1100000802

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Leveling a Warlock

WOW Insider continues their lower level guides to various characters.
http://www.wow.com/2009/11/30/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-10-to-40/

More warlock leveling info
http://psynister.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/warlock-leveling-part-i-1-29/

http://psynister.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/warlock-leveling-30-49/

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