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I avoided this game, mainly because of the ?9 a month fee. Sadly when GuildWars had nothing more to offer me my friend asked me to try the trial. 4 months later I now have a level 80 Paladin, 66 Priest, 64 Priest and a 58 Warlock. Some levels were granted ones. The warlock is really a level 58 running around in crap/non-existing gear.

I plan to play the 64 Priest as my main and Paladin as an alt (dont have enough time to be putting it into any more chatacters). I enjoy healing. If you wonder why I have two priests its because the 66 is a Dwarf and I dislike the size of him so I started a human one. Sad I know:((

the dude across the street from me is always trying to get me to come over and play some character he made for his kid, but the kid never wants to play.

i told him the only way i would play was if it had zombies, and i could be partners with Clair :)

Don't know much about the game, but I do know that Mountain Dew GameFuel is back, tied in with WoW.

http://www.mountaindewgamefuel.com/

Same great drink it was when they ran it two years ago with Halo 3 :D

-Spenser

Yep, I'm really excited about that. I loved the citrus cherry flavor, and now there's a new blue one for Alliance. I wonder what it tastes like...

An island somewhere off the shores of Northrend. A rock, hardly worth a second look. But as insignificant as it may seem, this is no ordinary place. A sound of thunder as waves crash endlessly against rocky cliffs; a sound of fury as swords clash on the blood-stained fields of this island on the edge of forever.

Welcome to the Isle of Conquest.

The ongoing struggle between Horde and Alliance has turned many once peaceful (and some not-so peaceful) places into theaters of constant war. The Isle of Conquest is the latest such place, set to be the location of a battle of epic proportions over the island's precious resources.

An Alliance and a Horde general are fighting for dominance, overseeing the action from the safety of their keeps. Whichever side manages to eliminate the enemy general first will triumph on the island; failure to protect your leader will bring shame, dishonor, and defeat. There is no peace accord here, and it?s an all-out war between the factions.

Once More into the breach...u>

Isle of Conquest, a new battleground scheduled to make its debut in the upcoming content patch, Call of the Crusade, will pitch teams of up to 40 players against each other in a massive battle over this small island off Northrend's northern coast. To win, your team will need to make use of the island's unique strategic locations including an oil derrick, a siege workshop, and a fully equipped airship hangar. You will deploy devastating siege weaponry on the field; Light have mercy on anyone caught between you and your ultimate target, the general holed up in the enemy keep.

There are five points of interest on the Isle of Conquest for the factions to battle over. Each one offers its own benefits and strategic value. Which one will you claim for your side, and will it be enough to ensure victory?

Capture Locationsu>

Consider your options before storming out of your keep to confront the enemy head-on. Spread throughout the Isle of Conquest are several capturable locations (as seen on the map), each granting a unique strategic advantage to your team.

The Oil Derrick:b> Located on the northwestern end of the island, this smudge in the Frozen Sea produces enough black gold to run a thousand siege engines. Taking this resource garners precious reinforcements and a continuous flow of honor to the side that controls it.

The Cobalt Mine:b> This snow-covered assembly, located on the southeastern end of the island, hides untapped supplies that must be harvested. Taking this resource grants reinforcements and a continuous flow of honor to the side that controls it.

The Docks:b> The western shore's docks will further expand your selection of siege weapons with the devastating new Glaive Thrower and the Catapult. Unleash the destruction of the Glaive Thrower upon the walls of the keep, or launch your invading party over the walls to assault the keep from within.

The Airship Hangar:b> This sturdy steel structure stands on the peak of Mt. Conquest overlooking the eastern side of the island, allowing players to board the airship docked there. This devastating weapon of war is capable of raining death upon the heads of your enemies and destroying enemy defenses. Once onboard the airship, players will find it comes equipped with parachutes enabling a strike team to drop into the enemy keep from above.

The Siege Workshop:b> Situated right between the Alliance base and the Horde base, this siege workshop occupies a strategic hot spot. Seizing it grants the controlling party the ability to utilize an arsenal of siege vehicles perfectly suited to reducing the enemy keep?s walls to dust and ashes.Graveyards: There are five graveyards in the Isle of Conquest that are attached to different points of interest on the map: the Horde base, the Alliance base, an oil spill island in the center of the map (attached to the siege workshop), the northeast corner (attached to the airship hangar), and the southwest corner (attached to the docks).

Main ObjectivesThe Keeps: The Horde and Alliance keeps sit at opposite ends of the island. These citadels host four easily accessible defensive cannons set on the ramparts, capable of unleashing hot fury onto oncoming attackers. Additional explosives sit safely stowed in the base of the keep along the back wall. At least, they?re safe as long as they don?t fall into enemy hands. If they do, though, they can be employed to bring the stone walls down from witThe General:ral: Holed up behind the keeps' massive walls, the generals command their forces from a position of relative safety. Should the keep fall and the general be slain, the Isle of Conquest will fall to the vicReinforcements:nts: Isle of Conquest uses a reinforcements system similar to that of Alterac Valley. The clock is ticking and every individual counts. If too many of your comrades fall to the enemy the battle will end in defeat. Killing enemy players will reduce their reinforcements by one for each kill, Once your faction?s reinforcements reach their limit, so too does your bid for control of the island and the wealth of resources you?ve fought so haAn island somewhere off the shores of Northrend. A rock, hardly worth a second look. A test of strength. A chance to prove your might, to crush your enemies, to make a difference, a chance for endless glory and conquest.onquest.

Will you seize it?

Blue sure is spewing their guts a lot lately.

So the WoW login servers have been having major issues for about 7 hours now. How's everybody coping? :p

12/06 Login unavailable

Due to technical issues the login servers are currently not operating at full capacity. The issues are being addressed and will be resolved as soon as possible.

[edit] Apparently the only way to log in right now is to merge with Battle.net. I smell conspiracy theories.

Edited by martskre

I never really got into that Warlock... I might play him some more later, but for now I'm just going to push my mage to 80. He's about halfway to 79. I'm excited though, as I've never had a caster get past level 30 or something. It's a lot of fun and very different in instances, as I've always been melee DPS or tanking.

So, correct me if I'm wrong.

When you are championing a faction in the Argent Tournament. whatever city you are currently Champion you need to stay champion with until you've purchase all the rewards you want from them? Say I'm currently a champion of Silvermoon. I want the Tabard, Pet, and both mounts. If I start championing Undercity will I still be able to access the quatermaster of Silvermoon? Or is the only way to have access to him is to be a champion of that faction and once you become valiant of another you looose the option of using him?

If that's the case I'm looking at 195 Champion Seals per faction, which if I get none from the Champion's purse that's 39 days......

So, correct me if I'm wrong.

When you are championing a faction in the Argent Tournament. whatever city you are currently Champion you need to stay champion with until you've purchase all the rewards you want from them? Say I'm currently a champion of Silvermoon. I want the Tabard, Pet, and both mounts. If I start championing Undercity will I still be able to access the quatermaster of Silvermoon? Or is the only way to have access to him is to be a champion of that faction and once you become valiant of another you looose the option of using him?

If that's the case I'm looking at 195 Champion Seals per faction, which if I get none from the Champion's purse that's 39 days......

After becoming champion of all the Horde/Alliance factions at the tournament, you can continue to buy as much as you want from any of the NPCs. So don't worry about not being able to access any of them. The only thing you lose after becoming a champion of any of them are the valiant dailies. If you need that certain factions rep, it's best to just destroy the valiant seals and wait until exalted, then continue to the next city. Though for 1 champion's writ each(option from dailies other than purse) you may buy up to 4 badges from a particular faction that gives 250 rep/badge, for a max 1000 rep daily.

The purse's only give 10g, so don't hold your breath for anything else.

Thanks. I've heard Imp. Drain Soul is fantastic for leveling... Anything to get extra mana is great. Is there a specific reason you decided to skip over it?

Mainly because I hardly ever DS, only really when I need a shard or two, I can't stand having more than a couple shards in my bags.

So the WoW login servers have been having major issues for about 7 hours now. How's everybody coping? :p

[edit] Apparently the only way to log in right now is to merge with Battle.net. I smell conspiracy theories.

I've been merged since they released the iphone authenticator in Europe.

After becoming champion of all the Horde/Alliance factions at the tournament, you can continue to buy as much as you want from any of the NPCs. So don't worry about not being able to access any of them. The only thing you lose after becoming a champion of any of them are the valiant dailies. If you need that certain factions rep, it's best to just destroy the valiant seals and wait until exalted, then continue to the next city. Though for 1 champion's writ each(option from dailies other than purse) you may buy up to 4 badges from a particular faction that gives 250 rep/badge, for a max 1000 rep daily.

The purse's only give 10g, so don't hold your breath for anything else.

So since I'm a Silvermoon Champion, the quatermaster will always be avaiable for me, even when I'm a valiant for say Thunderbluff?

Or is it when I'm exalted and championed all factions all quatermaster's are avaiable?

So since I'm a Silvermoon Champion, the quatermaster will always be avaiable for me, even when I'm a valiant for say Thunderbluff?

Or is it when I'm exalted and championed all factions all quatermaster's are avaiable?

Once you unlock the quartermaster with any faction it is always available.

So i logged back into the game (granted I got it the day it came out, quit a year ago, and started up a trial again today) ....tonight, and played for about an hour. The PVP was decent, but after an hour, it began to be the same old GRIND / look at over priced stuff on AH / Grind some more, Raid, more grinding. Not much has changed in this game, unfortunately. Wasted to many days of my life on this game, don't think I'm going to waste any more.........sadly.

Hope the next big MMO brings something more to the table than a grind fest.

Hope the next big MMO brings something more to the table than a grind fest.

Name a MMO that didn't have a grind fest?

Grats Andrew. Fun fight ehh? If your Minifig on Draka, you should look into another trinket other than Red Sphere. Your 4% over hit capped. Mirror of truth or something else would be better suited. (Darkmoon: Greatness Strength would be godly and is still a BiS trinket including Ulduar drops.

So i logged back into the game (granted I got it the day it came out, quit a year ago, and started up a trial again today) ....tonight, and played for about an hour. The PVP was decent, but after an hour, it began to be the same old GRIND / look at over priced stuff on AH / Grind some more, Raid, more grinding. Not much has changed in this game, unfortunately. Wasted to many days of my life on this game, don't think I'm going to waste any more.........sadly.

Hope the next big MMO brings something more to the table than a grind fest.

Most MMO's have grinding that's how they get you to keep subscribing. If you want an MMO without grind check out Guild Wars. The reason this game does not contain much if any grinding is because it does not have a Monthly Subscription. You pay once to obtain the game and then you can play it for free forever. Because of this the developers don't actually want you playing (When you play, you use Bandwidth, Storage and CPU time on their servers) so you level to maximum pretty quickly and the best items in the game can be obtained with medium effort compared to WoW that takes a lot of time to really get anything of merit.

Personally I really enjoy WoW and I'm a casual player I like buying and selling things and making stuff and trading and I also enjoy levelling the different classes in different zones. The end game can be tedious but I find more joy in the journey getting there and experiencing all the other content that Blizz have included.

Grats Andrew. Fun fight ehh? If your Minifig on Draka, you should look into another trinket other than Red Sphere. Your 4% over hit capped. Mirror of truth or something else would be better suited. (Darkmoon: Greatness Strength would be godly and is still a BiS trinket including Ulduar drops.

Hellishly fun fight..

I'm already looking for a Red Sphere replacement.

I'm probably going to go for the DM: Greatness Strength one like you said.

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    • Microsoft outs Windows 11 KB5095093 with long list of new features by Sayan Sen Microsoft today has released its newest preview update (C-release) for the month of June 2026 under KB5095093, builds 26200.8737 (for Windows 11 25H2) and 26100.8737 (on Windows 11 24H2). The update brings new features across various elements of the OS including the Windows update, the Recovery, Widgets, File Explorer, and more. The full changelog is given below: First up we have the features rolling out gradually: [Point-in-time restore for Windows] New! This flexible recovery feature helps you quickly roll back your PC, including apps, settings, and personal files, to a recent automatic restore point. It helps reduce downtime and simplifies troubleshooting when issues occur. To learn more, see Point-in-time restore for Windows. [Windows Update] New! A calendar experience in Windows Update Settings (Settings > Windows Update) lets you pause updates by choosing an end date, for up to 35 days. You can extend the pause by selecting a different end date and re‑pause updates as needed. For more information, see Pause updates in Windows. [Widgets] New! A quieter, more focused Widgets experience helps reduce interruptions and improves default settings and notification controls: Reduce distractions: Widgets no longer open on hover. Notifications and taskbar badges are minimized by default. Simpler: Open to the Widgets dashboard by default on first use. Customize: Configure Widgets how you want by selecting Settings in the navigation bar, then changing any of the default settings. Stay informed: Dashboard icons show the number of alerts, and badges clear automatically when you leave a dashboard. Adjusted defaults: Some default settings are preserved based on usage, while others adjust to reduce interruptions. Performance improvements: This update provides improved reliability, responsiveness, and visual quality across the Widget experience. [Accessibility] New! 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[Bluetooth] This update improves reliability and performance when connecting to and using Bluetooth devices: New! Windows now keeps the microphone mute state in sync between the audio mixer and the Hands-Free Profile (HFP) for a more consistent experience with Bluetooth headphones with mute buttons or indicators. Accessory compatibility workarounds: Improves compatibility with specific Bluetooth audio devices, helping AirPods appear faster in pairing mode and improving microphone reliability on Beats Studio Pro headphones. Bluetooth audio stability: Improves overall Windows stability with certain PC manufacturer drivers (error code 0x9F). Improves Bluetooth reliability for voice calls when using Classic Audio devices with the Hands-Free Profile (HFP). Reduces time for LE Audio accessories to start playing audio while using the microphone. 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    • Hands-on with BOOX Tappy: cute little reading accessory by Taras Buria Page turners are quite popular accessories for e-readers, as they enable a hands-free reading experience, which is particularly useful with large readers featuring 10-inch or larger displays. The BOOX Tappy is a new accessory that was introduced earlier this year, and we took this cute-looking thingy for a spin. The Tappy comes in a small box, with two additional buttons and a user manual. The device is made of glossy green plastic and resembles old appliances from the nuclear age. Material quality is great, and each part feels quite premium. Plastic is high-quality, the switch is nice to flick, and the buttons are not rattly. At the bottom, four rubberized feet prevent slipping when used on a desk. Unfortunately, there are no color options, and the Tappy is only available in green. It looks good, but I wish there were other options as well. There are two removable buttons, an on/off switch, and an LED indicator that displays connection mode, charging status, and more. The buttons resemble those of an old typewriter, with quite a long travel distance and a pleasant clack. In the box, you have four buttons with different icons: heart, coffee, O, and X. You can easily swap buttons by simply pulling them upwards. Tip: buttons come with plastic covers, but they are quite tricky to remove. It is hard to call the Tappy the most ergonomic remote control, but after fiddling with it for a few hours, I managed to find a comfortable hand position. Attaching a lanyard to it can make it more comfortable in use without the fear of dropping it, but unfortunately, the Tappy does not come with one. The Tappy connects via Bluetooth 5.2, and it works in three modes, which you can toggle by pressing and holding both buttons for about five seconds: Reading Mode Multimedia Mode Browsing Mode Next / Previous page Next / Previous Track Up / Down scroll If you pair the Tappy with a BOOX device (I tested it with the BOOX Go 10.5 Gen 2 Lumi), you will get small pop-ups indicating the current mode. Plus, you can customize what each button does when pressed one time, two times, or held for a few seconds. The list of available actions and features you can use is massive, and I like that BOOX lets you map stuff like brightness adjustment, app launching, screenshot-taking, screen rotating, navigation, and more. Note, however, that while you can use the Tappy with other readers, its customization is only available on BOOX devices running firmware version 4.2 and newer. I could not connect the Tappy to my computer (Windows 11 claims a driver error when I try), but it worked with the DuRoBo Krono that I recently reviewed. My Kindle Paperwhite refused to work with the Tappy, though, just like my iPhone. The Tappy uses a non-removable Li-Ion battery, which can be recharged with a Type-C cable. BOOX rates the remote for "weeks of use," and I can say that it indeed has very good battery life. While there are no battery indicators on the remote, you can see the current level in the status bar or in Input settings in the BOOX firmware. After a few days of active use, mine still shows about 95%. Overall, the Tappy left a nice impression. It is well-made, and the integration with BOOX devices is great. I also like that BOOX decided to have some fun with its design and swappable buttons. I cannot say I am a fan of its odd shape, though. Still, I managed to find a way to use it comfortably. And when not in use, it just looks neat sitting on the table doing nothing or serving you as a small clacky fidget. Buy BOOX Tappy - $29.99 on Amazon US As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
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    • Sadly "beats Steam Machine" isn't much of a brag.
    • Passkeys: Think of them like a broken heart necklace. Imagine one of those heart necklaces that breaks into two matching pieces. One person keeps one half, and the other person keeps the other half. With passkeys, the website has one half, and you have the other half. If the website gets hacked and someone steals its half, that stolen piece is useless by itself. It cannot unlock your account without your matching half. This particular heart necklace is one of a kind, there is only one in existence. Your half of the necklace has to be stored somewhere. It might be stored on your phone, tablet, computer, security key, or a password manager that can sync it between all your devices. A security key is a small physical device that you keep with you, kind of like a house key, car key, or flash drive. I would not usually recommend a security key as the first option for the average person. For most people, it is easier to use their phone, computer, or a password manager that can sync passkeys between their devices. A security key is more like a spare key you keep in a safe place, just in case you lose access to your other devices or your password manager. Some security keys plug into your computer. Some plug into your phone or tablet. Some get tapped against your device. The idea is simple: a security key can hold another passkey for the same website. Think of it like creating a second one-of-a-kind heart necklace for the same account. One necklace could be paired with your password manager, while another necklace could be paired with your security key. That means the website has more than one matching half on file. One half matches the passkey in your password manager. Another half matches the passkey stored on your security key. So, if you lose access to your phone, computer, or password manager, you would still be able to log in using the passkey stored on your security key. Think of it like keeping an extra special necklace piece on a tiny keychain, stored somewhere safe. The website still has the matching half for that security key, but your half is safely stored inside the little key. A passkey does not automatically exist on every device you own. It lives wherever you save it. If your half is stored on one device, then that device is the one that has the matching piece. For example, if you create the passkey on your Windows computer and it is only saved to that computer, your iPhone does not automatically have that same half. If you create it on your iPhone and it only stays on that iPhone, your Android phone does not automatically have it either. That is where password managers come in. A password manager can act like a protected jewelry box for your passkeys. Instead of your half of the necklace being locked to only one device, the password manager can securely sync that half to your other approved devices. For example, Apple Passwords and iCloud Keychain can sync passkeys between your Apple devices. Google Password Manager can sync passkeys with your Google account. But password managers such as 1Password and Bitwarden can sync passkeys between everything, your phones, tablets and computers. Now, you might ask: “What happens if I lose access to the device that has my passkey?” That depends on where your passkey was saved and what recovery options the website gives you. If your passkey was synced through a password manager, you may be able to sign in from another device that has access to that same password manager. For example, if your passkey is saved in iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager, 1Password, or Bitwarden, another approved device may still have access to it. If your passkey was saved only on one phone, computer, or security key, and you lose that device, then you may not have your half of the necklace anymore. In that case, you would usually need to use the website’s backup login or account recovery options. A lot of websites that support passkeys still let you fall back to your regular password. So if you lose access to your passkey, the site may still let you log in with your password, a code sent to your email, a text message, a recovery code, or some other account recovery process. That is convenient, but it is also important to understand: if the website still allows password login, then your password still matters. Passkeys are safer than passwords, but if your account still has a password as a backup, you should still use a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor authentication if the website offers it. This is why it is a good idea to have more than one safe way back into important accounts. For example, you might keep your passkey in a syncing password manager, add a second trusted device, save recovery codes somewhere safe, or set up a backup security key. A passkey is very secure, but just like a real key, you need a backup plan in case you lose access to it. Now, you might ask: “What stops a hacker from copying my half of the necklace?” That’s the important part: your half is protected. It is not something you type in, and it is not something the website gets to keep. Think of your half as being locked inside a tiny safe on your phone, computer, security key, or password manager. That safe only opens when you approve it with your fingerprint, face, PIN, or device password. When you log in, the website does not need to see your half. It only needs proof that your half matches its half. Your actual half is not handed over to the website. This is different from a password. With a password, you type the secret into the website. If you type it into a fake website, the hacker now has it. With a passkey, you are not typing your secret into the website. Your device is proving you have the matching half without giving the half away. That also helps protect you from fake websites. If someone makes a fake login page that looks like the real site, your device can tell it is not the real match. It will not use your passkey there. Now, could someone use your passkey if they stole your device, got into your password manager, or somehow unlocked the safe that holds your half? Yes, that is why your device password, PIN, fingerprint, face unlock, and password manager security still matter. But a hacker cannot just steal your passkey from the website or trick you into typing it into a fake page like they can with a password. That is why passkeys are safer than passwords. The two matching pieces have to come together, like two lovebirds who were once separated and are finally reunited.
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