Some people might question the necessity of this maneuver, but I find that the big trend these days seems to be choice. Where you get your information, and how you get it, is completely up to you. It’s the reason why Google integrates into everything and everything integrates into Skynet Facebook (yes, even Twitter). Maybe you already have a good method for figuring out when the servers are up or down (refreshing the in-game browser ad nauseum for three hours straight doesn’t count). Maybe you’ve got a bookmark on the status page, or have it hooked up to an RSS feed.

But if you don’t? Well, now you can keep up with the times on Twitter, by following the official BlizzardCS account. Now, don’t go thinking you can spam it every time your game crashes. This is less for accepting complaints and more for disseminating mass information and updates quickly:

You can now follow all Blizzard Entertainment Customer Support news and updates on Twitter. Just head over to @BlizzardCS, (http://twitter.com/BlizzardCS) for the latest Support related news, events and more. We will be providing constant updates during Tuesday’s maintenance and service outages. Additionally, you will be able to view updates to our Queue Times for Game Master interactions, account investigations and escalated tickets alike.

Of course, we’d be remiss if any mention of Twitter went without a convenient link to our own account. Yes, our ancient Sparklepony contest is still going on because we’ve yet to hit the magic number. Scratch our back and we’ll scratch yours! All you have to do is follow @Lorehound today!

Just you and me, and the devil (Oblivion Orb) makes three.

It’s no secret that I’m a loot whore. I even try to draw you all in with me and encourage you to do the same. So the ridiculous amounts of loot I’ve gained since taking up the call to complete Loremaster is an obvious perk.

I suppose I should define my particular obsession a little further. Yes, armor sets are an obvious affliction. But I also am enthralled by armor and weapon pieces that may not be obvious choices, but they (or their animation) just look cool. When it’s not a matter of choosing the quest reward that most benefits me (since I’ve long past upgraded from anything I can get in Kalimdor), I instead go for aesthetics. Which item (if any) is equip-able and looks badass? I’ve found some pretty neat ones.

Of course, if all else fails, I just go for the item that vendors for the highest gold. And that’s what usually happens. But not always. Let’s take a look at a few of my favorite vanity gear I’ve picked up through Kalimdor questing, and from finishing up Northrend prior to that. That leaves out some of the awesomest stuff out there (Dragonbreath Hand Cannon, I’m looking at you), but it’s not meant to be an exhaustive list.

Granted, a lot of these share models with other items in-game, but since I didn’t start collecting them until after hitting level 80, many had already been vendored :(… also, I may be biased, but it seems that some of these items don’t look nearly as cool on other models as they do on a female belf :D

Off-hand / Ranged weapons

• Bondsniper
• Lantern of Enchanted Flame Continue Reading

If you were curious as to how terrifying Deathy, the murloc mini-pet awarded to Blizzcon 2010 attendees and live ticket holders, look no further than the new trailer posted to the official WoW Youtube channel. The trailer also contains a couple of promises to live internet viewers, namely, the full dance and costume contests, which were cut short last year. It also lists 3 of the cameras available to live viewers:

• Main stage
• Development stage
• Tournament stages
• Presumably a “host stage” with exclusive interviews for live viewers, etc.

Head on over to the Blizzcon site to buy a virtual ticket if you aren’t attending the contest in person.

All my puns are 100% auriginal!

A good idea will always find a way to make itself known, and the more minds you’ve got producing them the more you’re going to get. It’s easy enough to sit in your ivory tower and think you have all the answers, because you’ve got the resources and conference rooms to get things done, but that sort of mentality can lead to a terribly insular point of view.

That’s why I’m so happy that Blizzard has, for such a long time now, openly embraced the community braintrust to help improve the quality of their games, and the latest mod to be co-opted for inclusion in World of Warcraft’s stock interface is the almighty Power Auras. The key to winning any battle is situational awareness, and while telling you precisely where you should be and when you should be there pushes the line of what’s acceptable (like the ill-fated AVR), giving you a little hint or nudge every once in awhile ain’t so bad. After all, at that point, it’s up to you to do something about it, right?

The ultimate point of an add-on like Power Auras is to give you a recognizable, visual cue when one of your key (but generally not instant-use) abilities is available. Raid encounters these days have so much going on that they require your mind to be about ten different places at once, so it’s nice to have some virtual smelling salts to bring you back to your senses.

Like so many other great add-ons, Blizzard’s version probably won’t satisfy long-time users of the original who are used to controlling every minute detail of their setup, but this is a welcome addition for anybody who would rather not futz around with a bunch of options and simply wants to enjoy the added convenience of having the auras around.

What’s cool is that, according to what’s been posted up on MMO-Champion (see image), it looks like each applicable spell or ability will get its own unique graphic, which flashes on screen when it’s ready. Though not all have been included in the current build of the beta, the ones that are there seem might slick to me.