Super WOW Guide

Archive for July, 2010

Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers’ Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader’s Handbook, available from No Starch Press.

Last week, I began addressing what is one of the most complex and difficult duties an officer or raid leader must occasionally perform: giving out unsolicited constructive criticism. As the email that sparked this discussion proved, such conversations can be volatile. With the wrong approach, you can destroy friendships and lose guildmates. Let’s continue to examine the right approach.

To recap, here are the first two steps from part 1:

1. Consider your guild’s criticism culture and adapt your approach accordingly.
2. Plant the seed of taking personal initiative to research and improve play.

At this point, you have to be a little bit patient. If your guild is on the brink of collapse over performance issues, you can’t always afford to let this situation play out. However, the safest bet is to give the underperforming player another week of raids to show an improvement. Keep a close eye on him during this week. Examine his spec and gear to see if he’s made any adjustments. Record a combat log to see if he’s using the appropriate class abilities. Watch him during boss encounters to see if he is following instructions and executing the fight properly.

Continue reading Officers’ Quarters: Destructive criticism, part 2

Filed under: Officers’ Quarters (Guild Leadership)

Officers’ Quarters: Destructive criticism, part 2 originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The latest Cataclysm screenshot from Blizzard is shown above. This image makes me think of good old Zangarmarsh. I’m happy to seem some of the foreign, alien landscapes returning to the game.

If you’ve missed any of the previous Cataclysm screenshots of the day or you want to see a high-res version of today’s image, check out the gallery below.

Filed under: Cataclysm

Cataclysm screenshot of the day originally appeared on WoW.com on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Random expressions of love can be dangerous; that’s the lesson for the week. Stay tuned next week for the debut of the Sunday Morning Funnies gallery guide, packed with all of the custom artwork I could squeeze out of your favorite comic artists!

• LFG: #375 and #376.
• AFR: My hovercraft is full of eels anal.
• Tales from the Crossroads: What a Long, Strange Trip it’s Gonna Be!
• Daily Quests: Too Hot to Handle.
• DLC: Once on a Time.
• Fourth Wall: Reality Impaired. Also: The Dangers of Receiving a Beta Key. The first one isn’t specifically about WoW, but it applies.
• Drunken Pirates Guild: The Highlord’s Speech.
• Torment of the Week: Solstia’s Interrogation.
• Slash AFK: Ew. Also: Love Fur Real and Random LFG Saga.
• Coffin Comcis: Zoinks.
• Beyond the Tree: Once Smitten… Twice Awry.
• NPC: Cutting Losses. Also: Happy Happy Critter Party and Bullet Hole Riddled Target.
• The Warcraft Hero in: The Best Plan Ever.
• Experience Points: Out of Your Element.
• Guilded Age.
• Teh Gladiators: For Hoofrich! Click “next” for part two!

Optional filler (or, you could say, ‘bonus material’):

• Complex Actions: Work in Progress.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Sunday Morning Funnies: Plushie lovin’, out loud originally appeared on WoW.com on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to another article by elemental shaman specialist Matt Sampson, otherwise known as Binkenstein. By day, he’s a geek; by night, he’s also a geek, but with spreadsheets. He’d also like to point out that Time Warp is just another excuse to bring mages vending machines to raids.

Since I’m still the new guy here, I figure that it’s best to start at the beginning, for it’s a very good place to start (and I’m not intentionally putting song lyrics into my posts, it just happens). Given that Cataclysm is still in beta testing, I’m not going to talk about talents, rotations or even the new spells here.

“But Binks,” you say, “how can you have an article about basics if you don’t include any of those topics?” You can, I say, if you talk about the essential basic you have to get right in your playstyle. This is the thing that turns an average-geared player into a fairly competitive one, makes the top-end raiders great, and without which the guy languishing at the bottom of the DPS table will never get to the top no matter how many best-in-slot items he has.

What I’m talking about is skill. This doesn’t just mean the ability to mash buttons faster or harder, or the bonus of having really low latency (trust me, a good ping for me is in the 300ms range), but rather being situationally aware, knowing when to move, how far to move and what to do while moving. It means thinking a few steps ahead so that when the next event occurs, you’re already in position and ready for it.

Some players will never master the basics. Others don’t even have to try because they’re naturals. For the rest of us (and yes, I mean myself as well), it requires a bit of experimentation, some trial and error and most important of all, guides!

Continue reading Totem Talk: Back to basics

Totem Talk: Back to basics originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW.com staff and ask them, “What are you playing this week?” (Otherwise known as: WRUP!) Join us to see what we’re up to in and out of game — and catch us in the comments to let us know what you’re playing, too!

Cataclysm hasn’t arrived yet, and in the meanwhile, the WoW.com team is musing over what they need to get done before it does. And for once, there’s something we (mostly) agree on: before Cataclysm comes, take a tour of the Plaguelands. Do the quests and run the dungeons, because there are some fantastic stories there that we’ll never see again. But for what everyone’s playing this weekend — and the occasional non-Plagueland suggestions for your pre-Cataclysm to-do list, read on.

• Alex Ziebart (@alexziebart): I’m playing a game called “Petition to have Milwaukee renamed Atlantis.”
• Allison Robert (@AllisonRobert): Now that my grandmother’s moved into the home we renovated for her, this weekend’s going to be spent working on a feature I’ve been kicking around for a bit, and then at a party to send my brother off to his study abroad program in style. And what should every player do before Cataclysm hits? Quest through Feralas and/or Desolace, I think — just so you know exactly what you won’t be missing. Disclaimer: I like both zones, but good God, could the travel time needed for questing have been any worse? Especially in the days before mounts at 20/40?
• Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey): Either we will be killing 25m HM Putricide, or we will have killed the bugger already, in which case we get to work on … Sindrigosa. Not. Looking. Forward to that. Other than that, writing away and playing around on the beta! As for the list — I already wrote an article on what to do in Azshara if you haven’t, but other areas that should be experienced at least once — Thousand Needles, absolutely. Western and Eastern Plaguelands. If you have not done Tirion Fordring’s chain, go talk to him in the Eastern Plaguelands and do the kill quests, then continue with the chain. This will not be available after Cataclysm, and it’s one of the most heart-wrenching chains out there. Go do it!
• Amy Schley (@wowlawbringer): There’s this little test on Tuesday and Wednesday that’ll I’ll be studying for and panicking about. But my days in Purgatory are numbered, thank the good Lord! And on Thursday, Patent shall be celebrating however y’all choose. I’ll be at least tipsy myself. As for a quest, I’ll go a little off the beaten path with Favored of Elune? and its chain, as well as Sweet Amber, one of the greatest scavenger hunt quests ever.
• Chase Christian (@madsushi): Leading our 2nd ICC25 PUG this Saturday; we had great success last week so hopefully we can continue the trend this week.
• Christian Belt (@ihatewarlocks): Limbo Limbo Limbo. Also Deathspank. And finishing up Castle Crashers with my firstborn. Horde-side, I’d say everybody needs to hit up the Counterattack! chain in The Barrens, if only for the epic lowbie centaur battle it ends with. Also, I’ll second the WPL and EPL recommendations. Both of those zones are so steeped in Scourge lore that’ll be all but gone when Cataclysm hits. Nobody who is interested in the lore of Warcraft in any way whatsoever should miss out on the pre-Wrath storylines that culminate therein.
• Daniel Whitcomb (@danielwhitcomb): I’ll be working my way through Loremaster of Kalimdor. Currently, I’m finishing out Bloodmyst Isle, then it’s on to Darkshore. As far as stuff to do before the end comes? I’d strongly second doing both of the Plaguelands, and Scholomance and Stratholme while you’re at it. I think they have some of vanilla’s best quest design and storytelling (apart from a few annoying long walks like getting those damned termites). Also, Alliance should do the draenei starting zone quests, if only the questline where you learn the Furbolg language by finding totems and turning into spirit animals, then get declared the chosen savior of an entire tribe. Stuff like that is awesome.
  
• Eli Khoury (@Jagoex): This weekend, I’ll be throwing hate towards Heroic Sindragosa and the Lich King, as well as attending a Cryptozoic Spectral Tiger Safari tournament. If you see a guy who looks like the love child of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, come say hello.
• Elizabeth Harper (@faience): Probably doing some more work on preserving classic WoW in screenshots, probably on my paladin because soloing old world content with a paladin requires very minimal amounts of thought. For Cataclysm must-dos: Scholomance and Stratholme. They’re fun dungeons with some great story behind them — and they’re both easily soloable these days, even if you aren’t a paladin.
  
• Fox Van Allen (@foxvanallen): I’ll be spending part of the weekend trying to fix my damn computer, which hasn’t been working since Wednesday. And since I’ll probably wind up smashing it against the wall in frustration, I’ll spend the rest of the weekend playing Phoenix Wright on my iPhone. Ah, and one thing to do before Cataclysm? Run Stratholme. Constantly. Repeatedly. Until the Baron’s mount drops. DO IT.
• Gregg Reece: I’ll be raid tanking on the Horde pally, leveling the Alliance pally, and occasionally mucking with the druid as well … although which druid is the real question.
• Joe Perez (@Lodurzj): Getting ready to take on Lady Deathwhisper 25 hard mode next week which once we kill her will leave only Putricide, Sindragosa and the big man himself on heroic 25! More beta datamining as well as working on some videos and partaking in the test of a different beta. Overwatch is a mod for Half-Life 2 that has been in production for some time. It is a cooperative multiplayer FPS/RTS hybrid powered by the Source engine and based on the Half-Life 2 universe. A close friend of mine is on the development team and I’m looking forward to spending some time with the game and giving them some feedback. Between Cataclsym and Overwatch I’m going to have one busy weekend!
• Kelly Aarons (@Cadistra): Last week was a good week for mounts, and I got my Chef’s Hat yesterday, so I’ll mostly likely putter around with professions. I’m also starting to champion other cities, so dailies, dailies, dailies! My Steam account has finally been restored as well, so I’ll most likely fart around with either: Torchlight, Machinarium, or Zeno Clash. Nom. As for the Cata ‘bukkit’ list? Off the top of my head, I’d say quest in both Plaguelands, especially the Darrowshire quest line. It brings up the very human background behind the original plague, and is both very sad and very touching.
• Lisa Poisso (@emused): Keeping my fingers crossed for fun choices for my upcoming Choose My Adventure — give me something fresh and fun to work with here, guys! … Poking through a whole list of kids games with my daughter that we’re checking out for my column at sister publication Massively … Peeking at the StarCraft II beta and roaming about a bit in another NDAish beta … Reading an anthropological investigation of WoW from a writer who’ll be profiled soon in 15 Minutes of Fame … And after all the gaming stuff, off to Half Price Books to dig through the periodicals after dropping off a load to sell!
  
• Mathew McCurley (@gomatgo): A nice, happy weekend coming up. Hopefully. Writing and stuff. Um. I really have no idea what’s happening this weekend. I’m greatly anticipating StarCraft II. Is that a thing? Before Cataclysm, everyone should do the worst quest in the game — Super Sticky in Un’Goro. You get it from Gadgetzan. It’s the worst quest in the game.
  
• Matt Sampson (@binkenstein): Busy writing stuff, continuing a love/hate relationship with beta, and getting Totemspot off the ground (we have a domain, a server, and a temporary home page so far). Also leveling a mage (currently 60!), have into a few horde “friends” along the way.
• Rich Maloy (@stoneybaby): I was hoping to spend Sunday on my new/used road bike doing the 32-mile loop around Manhattan, but all the bikes I saw this week on Craigslist were garbage. So instead I’ll be (hopefully) playing the Cata beta, in addition to the usual QT with girlfriend and killing Lichie. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the Plaguelands, specifically Eastern Plaguelands. Definitely do the Darrowshire quest line, but also keep questing far into the upper parts of EPL.
• Robin Torres (@cosmiclaurel): The only thing I will be doing this weekend is preparing to move. If you see me online, I’ll be slacking.
  
• Zach Yonzon (@Battlemasters): Unless the beta gods smile upon me and let me enter the world of Cataclysm beta, I’ll be in hypersleep for the next few days awaiting the release of StarCraft II. Nothing else matter until then. As for what to do in before the expansion … I have no attachment to the old world. Let Azeroth burn! Bring on the Cataclysm! (Ok, not really — I just suck at remembering quest lines and stuff.)

Filed under: WoW.com Business

WRUP: Our bucket list originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For those unable to attend BlizzCon in Anaheim, California this upcoming October, DIRECTV will once again be broadcasting it all (mostly) live online for $39.95 USD. The virtual ticket has just gone on sale this evening so make sure you don’t miss out. For you pet/mount collectors out there, this virtual ticket will get you the exclusive in-game item that BlizzCon attendees will be receiving (though we don’t even know what it is yet).

Last year one of the major complaints about the online stream was the fact that many panels were delayed or possibly not even shown at all due to having only one stream available for many panels happening simultaneously, but it looks like they have a solution for that in place this year. According to the RayV page describing the virtual ticket, coverage has been expanded to four online channels offering 50+ hours of BlizzCon programming with complete coverage of panels, tournaments and announcements plus DIRECTV’s own exclusive interviews. Hopefully that means you can watch the events as they unfold rather than watching them on a delay or not at all.

Filed under: BlizzCon

BlizzCon 2010 virtual ticket on sale originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nethaera — Upcoming Level and Zone Changes

Continue reading Upcoming level and zone changes in Cataclysm

Filed under: Cataclysm

Upcoming level and zone changes in Cataclysm originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here at WoW.com, we’re on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere.

Remember running Scholomance a hundred times just to try to get that last piece of Dreadmist? And no one ever wanting to bother killing Jandice because she was optional and annoying? (It’s true: I’m speaking from personal experience.) Times and loot tables may have changed, but we’re still a bit gear-obsessed. So, for today’s quest, here’s what’s been going ’round the blogosphere about gear.

• Blessing of Fish talks about why our gear is special.
• Larísa at the Pink Pigtail Inn is on the hunt for a decent cloak.
• Relevart’s Druid Reliquary talks about epic gear feeling epic.
• Cynwise points out an important question from the recent dev chat: will we be able to wear a monocle with our top hat?

Filed under: The Daily Quest

The Daily Quest: It’s all about the gear originally appeared on WoW.com on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ah, the majestic Spectral Tiger. A truly rare sight, even in the ostentatious world of Azeroth. The loot cards sell for hundreds of dollars on eBay. If only getting one were as simple as playing the card game for a few hours …

Wait! It is! In fact, Cryptozoic Entertainment has distributed a bunch of Spectral Tigers to select hobby stores, and all you have to do for a chance to win is attend their Spectral Safari event. In Cryptozoic’s words:

A tournament friendly to players of all experience levels, the Spectral Safari participants will receive-at random-one of the 18 Class Starter Decks and compete in a tournament with that deck. The first 25 players to register for the event will pocket a Landro’s Pet Box code. Players who do well will earn Wrath Gate booster packs, and the winner picks up a Blazing Hippogryph Loot card. The Spectral Tiger will be randomly won as a door prize at the end of the event, so every entrant has an equal opportunity to ride home in style!

Sounds like fun to me. The WoW TCG is a very accessible game, and with the upcoming Class Decks, getting started is easier than ever. Check the Cryptozoic forum for details on the Spectral Safari location nearest to you!

Filed under: WoW TCG

WoW TCG invites you on a Spectral Safari this weekend originally appeared on WoW.com on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every week, Gold Capped (from Basil “Euripides” Berntsen) aims to educate players about how to make money on the auction house. For the inside line on crafting for disenchanting, transmutation, cross-faction arbitrage and more, check in every Wednesday. Also, feel free to email Basil any comments, questions or hate mail!

I’ve gotten quite the mail bag of questions emailed to me. I’m going to select a few and answer them approximately whenever I feel like it. Remember when writing your question that if you want to remain anonymous, all you need to do is ask!

The first question comes to us from Mahgo, from Dath’Remar (US):

I am emailing your for some advice regarding making gold on the auction house. I have most professions at max level.

I currently use Auctioneer to undercut when I am selling what I make. Do you have any advice or could you please point me for some help regarding niche markets, or how to tackle the whole market?

Continue reading Gold Capped Ask an Auctioneer: My first mailbag

Filed under: Gold Capped

Gold Capped Ask an Auctioneer: My first mailbag originally appeared on WoW.com on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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