official World of Warcraft

[Prosidius]

On a related note if you fly really high in Icecrown at Ice Crown Citadel you can get to the uninstanced Frozen throne. Pretty cool

[the evn show]

It's the first and easiest wing of REGULAR ICC. I think everyone needs to just relax and see how it pans out before screaming about it being too easy.

I heard the same thing when naxx/oss/voa/eye were cleared the first raid lock out after expansion launch.

People said that again when Ulduar was cleared the week it came out.

And again when TOC was cleared the week that was unlocked.

It's not a matter of making things available to 'crappy' players -- they did that last expansion by nerfing the hell out of tier N-1 when Tier N shipped and then doing it again when Tier N+1 comes out.

In terms of hard content last expansion:

• Gruul in 2.0
  
• Nightbane in 2.0
  
• Magtheridon
  
• Leothas (until the +spellpower on healing gear / hunter pet patch)
  
• Vashj
  
• Kael'Thas
  
• Bloodboil
  
• Council
  
• Archimonde
  
• Everything in sunwell (i'd argue Kalec wasn't, but hardly anybody killed him so he must have been)
  

In wrath there's been:

• Some Heroic dungeon achievements in 3.0
  
• Firefighter
  
• No lights yogg
  
• …
  

And of course those are just "do the same thing you did before, but this time make it more difficult on yourself". It's not new content. Even with hard modes - after a few weeks of 8 hour weeks those are done too and then you're out of content. I gave up the whole end game thing over a year ago precisely because of the 'easy content is easy' complaint but I've been fortunate enough to play through on an old friend's character once or twice.

Edited December 9, 2009 by evn.

[Prosidius]

I dont like the approach that Blizzard did with raids either but Blizzard is showing no signs of going back to the old way of doing things. Most of the players in this game are casuals or players that cant do fights like Lady Vashj, Teron Gorefiend or Felmyst, Blizzard is catering to those to get more $ while offering the hard modes for the hard core raiders. How hard the hard modes in ICC are remains to be seen.

If I had it my way the hard modes would be the only mode.

[Shadrack]

I have to agree with you, evn. Blizzard is bending over backwards for the crappy players and PUG groups and neglecting a suitable challenge for raiding guilds. But I do think that the hardmodes in Ulduar, and the quest line to Algalon the observer has been about the only thing Blizzard has done right in this expansion.

Another thing I was reflecting on is the poor quality of the crafted items in WK compared to BC. I remember healing on my Paladin and working very hard for the healing version of the alchemist stone when it came out. There wasn't many trinkets that were comparable unless you did the top-end hardest content.

Oh well. For me, the hard modes and heroic mode raid instance are still sufficiently challenging to keep me interested. I still have 2 hard modes to do in Ulduar, but who knows when I'll ever get a group together for that one as most people have lost interest.

I'm all for the incremental emblem system, but they should have incremented the dungeon difficulties with it. Normal mode - No badges, Heroic mode - Badge of Justice, Nightmare mode - Conquest, Hell Mode - Triumph. And Hell mode should just be crazy, like mobs re-spawning all the time and ****.

[Shadrack]

If I had it my way the hard modes would be the only mode.

I dunno, I kind of see it both ways. I've been in hard core raiding guilds and casual ones depending. Its nice not to have to dedicate your life to raiding 3+ nights a week just to see all the content in the game you are playing. The hard modes are there for people who want that kind of experience.

But I understand that there is still a difference. Defeating Lady V may have been a pretty big accomplishment. I don't think it would have been AS BIG of an accomplishment if there were a hard mode and easy mode to the fight.

However, it had more to do with weeding out the n00bs in your group than perfecting much of anything. The first time I did Lady V, I "got it" and spent most of my time frustrated at the players in my group who "didn't get it." If you are just an anonymous person who doesn't play with anybody you know, then **** em', get rid of the n00bs and find better players. But it isn't that simple for people who play with friends who play with friends who have formed relationships with people that everyone plays with. The politics of it all can make it impossible to form a group that was able to complete the harder content. And that's why so many guilds were stuck on Kara in BC.

Getting 10 people together to do the hard stuff is reasonable to do. 25 is just too many people to have to nitpick at to form the best of the best raiding guild. So in some ways I think Blizzard is going the right direction, but still need to try harder to please everyone.

[nubs]

How well does the cross realm dungeon matchmaking work?

[_neutrino Veteran]

Due to the server issues I believe my patch logo is more accurate.

Fail of the lich King

[Shadrack]

How well does the cross realm dungeon matchmaking work?

It works fine, although I'm not sure if there is a way to add people from other realms to your ignore list (surely there is because people need to ignore folks in BG all the time).

It should (hopefully) make getting a group together to do the instances while leveling more a reality. In my experience, it seems like you can get a group for Dead Mines and Stockades because of all the low level toons that only get so far and then the player loses interest in them or whatever. And after that it is a struggle to get a group together until you get to the new content. In fact, from a leveling perspective it wasn't even worth the time trying to get a group together.

I do really like how when a group is found for a dungeon you are automatically teleported to the dungeon and when you are done you can leave the group (which returns you to where you were originally) or the party leader can select a dungeon (or random if u want the extra emblems and gold) and the party is teleported to the new dungeon.

You can also leave a dungeon while still in a cross-realm group and return to it by selecting "Return to dungeon" from the interface.

I'm not sure if there is a way to add cross-realm friends and group with them for dungeons (although that would be cool).

[Slane]

<snip>

As always Evn hits the nail on the head.

[gigapixels Veteran]

I can understand both sides of the argument. I didn't start raiding until Wrath unfortunately (and now I'm wishing I'd done it much earlier, but I don't have a time machine, so :(), but I definitely understand the want for a challenge.

The hard modes offer something new, but it sucks when it's not a challenge for me but simply a challenge of getting a competent group together. In ToC for example, I do exactly what I need to do, put out top DPS, and we still wipe because somebody didn't do their job correctly (or multiple people). If I were in good groups for these things, I would have them cleared easily. So while it's a "challenge" it's really not that difficult if you have good players.

I wish the encounters were more difficult in the way of giving me, personally, a challenge. As long as I know the fights, I'm good, whereas most people just don't get it. And I'm sure many of you are on the same page. I want something that pushes me, a true gamer, to the limit, something that makes me have to watch out the entire time rather than just pump out my rotation.

If they never get back to that (from what I've heard, it used to be like that), then oh well, I still enjoy the game. But I would still love to see it happen.

[Noveed]

Due to the server issues I believe my patch logo is more accurate.

Fail of the lich King

when i say the trailer i actually did think it was Fail instead of fall at the begninning had to take a second look ahah. ICC Dungeon is easy until you get to the HoR.

[dead.cell]

I can understand both sides of the argument. I didn't start raiding until Wrath unfortunately (and now I'm wishing I'd done it much earlier, but I don't have a time machine, so :(), but I definitely understand the want for a challenge.

The hard modes offer something new, but it sucks when it's not a challenge for me but simply a challenge of getting a competent group together. In ToC for example, I do exactly what I need to do, put out top DPS, and we still wipe because somebody didn't do their job correctly (or multiple people). If I were in good groups for these things, I would have them cleared easily. So while it's a "challenge" it's really not that difficult if you have good players.

I wish the encounters were more difficult in the way of giving me, personally, a challenge. As long as I know the fights, I'm good, whereas most people just don't get it. And I'm sure many of you are on the same page. I want something that pushes me, a true gamer, to the limit, something that makes me have to watch out the entire time rather than just pump out my rotation.

If they never get back to that (from what I've heard, it used to be like that), then oh well, I still enjoy the game. But I would still love to see it happen.

I very much agree here. I mean, I understand that it's an MMORPG, but that doesn't mean there can't be content for individuals as well, who are looking to prove themselves of something. I can sit with a group doing a raid group or whatever, and sit and sit and sit while I wait for retarded people who can't do simple things like frogger, watch the crap they're standing in, or simply pay attention to what the hell they're doing / follow simple instructions. Why do I have to be punished for their mistakes? Why do I have to shell out gold for repairs caused by one person?

I mean, WoW could seriously use a little individual content that isn't simply a quest or leveling where we can be seen / known for our efforts specifically. In Cataclysm, there will be rated BGs... but I don't see the sense of it all when your rating drops because your team blows wang.....

(will expand later, gonna do heroics...)

[+Anarkii Subscriber²]

I see alot of people here have allready downed the 2nd boss (lady somethingorrather) in ICC. What is your strategy? We have 2x5 ppl on adds on the sides and we are still dying. Is there are better way to handle that woman in ICC?

Oh yeah got the epic 'Quel'Delar, Cunning of the Shadows today! Nice looking sword and nice back story to it :)

[Minifig]

You're in way over your head little gnome... :happy: ..

Also:

http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.x...a&n=Minifig

Full T9.. Minus my helm because what I'm wearing is actually better.. Ahoy! :)

Just need to get the chest piece enchanted now..

I also, just respeced into Unholy, and I'm now getting about .7k more DPS. :)

[the evn show]

The hard modes offer something new, but it sucks when it's not a challenge for me but simply a challenge of getting a competent group together.

Why do I have to be punished for their mistakes? Why do I have to shell out gold for repairs caused by one person?

Raiding is a team sport. It doesn't matter if you're the best paladin in the world: if you're tied to 9 or 24 terrible players you're not going to go anywhere.

I think most guilds put way too much attention on individual performance and not nearly enough on teamwork. It's way easier to say "jim has terrible DPS and john let the tank die."

Most situations are much more complex. In the off chance that someone really doesn't know how to play their class (ie: a mage showing up to raids arcane spec'd and casting

nothing but arcane barrage and arcane missiles) it's up to the raid to get together and teach them how to play.

There's nothing particularly difficult about any content in this game and you only need to learn a handful of skills to be 'acceptable'. If you're running with people that haven't developed those skills then it's a failure of the raid as a whole.

All of this is my opinion: and I'm not trying to single anybody out.

[_neutrino Veteran]

anyone else keep getting booted out of the dungeon when they go up the ramp to the first boss in forge of souls. this has happened to me every time I go in there.

[gigapixels Veteran]

Man, leveling an alt has never been so fun. I've run more low-level dungeons in the past two days than I would normally be able to run in a month or two. Groups are created within ten minutes (obviously it's much shorter at 80, but with low-level ones it does take some time) and we're in and running. Sometimes we have to deal with a crappy tank or healer, but it usually goes pretty smoothly.

Well done Blizzard.

[Shadrack]

anyone else keep getting booted out of the dungeon when they go up the ramp to the first boss in forge of souls. this has happened to me every time I go in there.

Hmm, I haven't had that happen to me. There was a blue post of bugs that in Hall of Reflection people were getting DCd that was supposedly fixed on the server.

Man, leveling an alt has never been so fun. I've run more low-level dungeons in the past two days than I would normally be able to run in a month or two. Groups are created within ten minutes (obviously it's much shorter at 80, but with low-level ones it does take some time) and we're in and running. Sometimes we have to deal with a crappy tank or healer, but it usually goes pretty smoothly.

Well done Blizzard.

Yeah, I agree. The new dungeon finder is awesome. And, cross-realm parties makes finding people for the low level stuff possible (and a lot easier).

[I am Redbeard]

I for one find the new Icecrown Citadel Raids fun, perhaps because Marrowgar dropped a belt which I won.. but still, learning new fights is fun. :]

[gigapixels Veteran]

I for one find the new Icecrown Citadel Raids fun, perhaps because Marrowgar dropped a belt which I won.. but still, learning new fights is fun. :]

I actually haven't done the raids yet, but the new 5-mans are fantastic. I can't wait till I get some time to do ICC... hopefully this weekend.

[I am Redbeard]

If you haven't watched any videos or heard any strats from people who played on the PTR, you will experience some wipes. It took us about 10-15 wipes on Marrowgar to get everything down perfect. Although that sounds like a lot, we willing ran expecting to wipe just to understand the bosses mechanics. I feel like the bark of Marrowgar is worse than his bite, especially on his bonestorm ability.

[Saburac]

This makes me want to renew my subscription. I loved running dungeons and would do it all day if I could but it always took hours (if not days) of looking for groups because no one on my sucky server ever ran them. In all of Outland I've only been in a handful of the instances and there are still many of the old raids I've never seen. One of the reasons I finally quit was sheer boredom since I couldn't get a group for anything.

[gigapixels Veteran]

This makes me want to renew my subscription. I loved running dungeons and would do it all day if I could but it always took hours (if not days) of looking for groups because no one on my sucky server ever ran them. In all of Outland I've only been in a handful of the instances and there are still many of the old raids I've never seen. One of the reasons I finally quit was sheer boredom since I couldn't get a group for anything.

Well if that's what you like to do I would recommend renewing. If anything, you'll only waste $15 if you decide it's still not worth it. But now you have a full battlegroup worth of servers to find people to group with from, so it's sooooooo much easier.

[Minifig]

Upcoming Armory Update

Apparently Blizzard will add some features to the Armory, the update was pushed today but removed an hour later. The date on the news post was January 1st 2010 and we can assume they will be released at this time. These features aren't available yet.

Quote from Blizzard staff

The Armory's character profiles have been redesigned and improved with several new features including a 3D model viewer, character activity and calendar feeds, and more.

3D Model Viewer: The 3D model viewer displays a character as he or she appears in-game. You can pan and zoom the camera, play animations, and save a default pose (for characters on the logged-in account) that will display for all visitors to the profile. Refer to the Character Sheet FAQ for more details.

Character Activity Feeds: Each character's activity feed shows the most recent in-game actions of the character that can be recorded by the Armory. These include achievements, boss kills, item acquisitions, and more. Character feeds can be customized using our customization tool, then exported as RSS feeds to your RSS reader of choice. Refer to the Character Feed FAQ for more details.

Player Calendar Feeds: Another new Armory tool allows you to export in-game player calendar data to calendar applications such as Outlook, or to online calendars such as Google Calendar. The tool can aggregate up to five characters on your account in a single feed, and is automatically synched with the characters' in-game player calendars. Refer to the Calendar Feed FAQ for more details.

Character Profiles: Character profiles have been redesigned to accommodate these new features and with the goal of improving usability and clarity, such as the Gear List view for a character's items.

The one I've underlined, I actually asked for in the suggestion forums.

I am SO freaking happy they added it.

I can now export my guilds calendar to my G1 HTC Dream and keep a tab on when I need to be home for raids. :happy:

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Hit 40 and got my charger :)