I’m going to type this out, and then I’m going to look back on it, go “oh, how dreary…” and wonder why I didn’t write some dark poetry about the matter instead. I don’t intend to be so melodramatic, but the fact is that I feel I’ve been at this juncture many times before. Sure, the universe waxes and wanes; months or years pass; I’m on the wagon again, I’m off the wagon again. I don’t dislike World of Warcraft, or Blizzard, or generally most of what they’ve done with it, but like any long-term relationship, Azeroth and I are bound to hit some rough patches along the way.

That’s not to say that outside forces have not been actively intruding on our alone time, because they have — I’ve been working my day job a lot more than usual, while seeking to regain my social life several nights a week and dealing with lots of other more personal problems and stresses brought on by the rigors of just… well, trying to live. But that’s not the crux of it, and I’m not here to say that I feel my life is that much better for not spending a great deal of it plunked in front of my computer screen.

It’s more that I don’t feel that “alone time” is as interesting or valuable as it used to be. For all the content added in Cataclysm, I honestly find fewer and fewer aspects of the game that continue to appeal to me. Maybe that’s because so much of it has been streamlined — there’s a difference between increased convenience and catering to the lowest common denominator, a tightrope I feel Blizzard isn’t quite able to walk as well as it used to. With no challenge, no exploration, most content in a game (MMO or otherwise) is only fun the first time through by sheer virtue of its shiny newness.

This is the unfortunate downside of its current state: bulldoze through all the quests in a zone until you’re prompted to go the next one. There might be a lot of quests, but if you’ve done ‘em once, you’ve done ‘em a million times. I think the only entertainment I’ve ever really been able to squeeze out of leveling an alt is attempting to optimize my path to the level cap — how can I max out my XP bonus and what quests/activities will offer me the most experience in the least amount of time?

PvP? A big, fat meh. I enjoy competitive gaming to a degree, but I’ve never liked it enough in World of Warcraft for it to remain a selling point and my disappointment with the most recent additions to this side of the game is evident.

What else is there? Archaeology? Professions? Rare pet hunting (and, yes, I actually resorted to that for a couple of days recently, to no avail)? The one thing I hold any remaining interest in at the moment, raiding, is something I’ve been unable to do in at least a month. As much fun as a small, tight-knit guild can be, you’ve got to deal with the distinct possibility that losing just one key player completely destroys your setup. This person leaves, you can’t raid. You can’t raid, people lose morale, and even less start showing up. Eventually, you lose morale, too, and with it, all desire of playing World of Warcraft. Continue Reading

iTZKooPA met up with Drew Walker from Cryptozoic to talk about the new Assault on Icecrown Citadel raid set, as well as the new TCG expansions Worldbreaker and War of the Elements.

Check out Heartbourne’s first hand impressions of the raid deck!

Yes, yes, I know. We’re a few days late on this news, but if you’ve just come off a weekend-long bender like the Lore Hound crew (or… just myself), then you too can revel in the glorious word: Trolls are making a comeback! Truly the best news for fighting off that killer hangover, two new Heroic Level-85 dungeons will be introduced with the content — Zul’Gurub and Zul’Aman. If both of those names sound familiar, they should; the former was a 20-man raid removed as the Cataclysm swept over Azeroth, the latter a late-term Burning Crusade dungeon best known for its time-limit reward mechanic and badass Amani War Bear mounts. Consequently, as of the new patch’s release, Zul’Aman will also cease to be a raid.

Zul’Gurub will feature the bulk of the changes with brand new encounters and its lore/design tweaked in accordance with everything that has occurred post-apocalypse, but perhaps the most interesting thing about the pair is that they will be classified as a different tier of Heroic than those already in the game, reflective of their increased difficulty and 353 ilevel loot. As with the initial tier of Heroic content, you’ll need to meet a minimum ilevel again, that target being 346. As a bit of a reward for your patience, Tier 2 Heroic Randoms will reward you with 140 Valor Points, as opposed to the 70 offered with Tier 1. No word on whether or not you’ll be able to earn both bonuses every day.

And for the collectors out there wondering what will happen to their precious mounts and pets, here’s what Blizzard has to say on the matter:

New versions of the rare raptor, tiger, and bear mounts will be available, while the old versions of these mounts will remain unique to those who already have them. We’ll reveal more about how these updated mounts can be obtained in the future.

In addition, Patch 4.1 will bring the usual bevy of class and balance changes, though you may be wondering what’s up with the Firelands raid. Certainly this couldn’t be the first major content patch in a long time without a raid attached? Well, Blizz is playing coy with details at the moment, and despite the early testing, Patch 4.1 may still be weeks or months off from final release. On top of that, MMO-Champion has uncovered models likely used in the Firelands (notably, Ragnaros with legs), plus some indication of new dailies found in the earliest set of files.

While we’ll have to wait on the big raid reveal, both Zul’Gurub and Zul’aman are available on the PTR right now.

There’s few beings in the World of Warcraft that, when stumbled upon, make the player run away screaming in terror. Not so much because they look dangerous or like they might hurt you. But moreso because they are so, so ugly that it hurts your eyes, makes you want to vomit and leaves you wondering, “WHY??”

This is unfortunately what I am facing right now as I work through the end quests of Deepholm involving the lovely lady Therazane, and it got me thinking — could she be, perhaps, the ugliest being ever to grace the lands of Azeroth? Read on to find out where she stands among the  Top 10.

Yes, my friends, these are the fuglies of Azeroth. And while we may disagree on the rankings I assigned, I’m relatively certain that we all can at least agree on one thing: these dudes are not pretty.

10. Eck the Ferocious (Gorloc)

This side-boss in Gundrak not only has a name that makes me think of phlegm getting caught in my throat (not pleasant), but also has attacks that leave you bearing his stenchy, slimy grossness. His spit attack leaves an  hour-long debuff on toons that makes them smell “ferocious.” Ew. Although the smaller gorlocs that players encounter in Northrend are slightly less rank, they bear many of the same nasty traits as Eck here, which makes grinding reputation on their behalf that much more unbearable.

9. Hogger (Gnoll)

The king of killing newbs in a starting zone near you (ie Elwynn Forest), Hogger’s sight is worse that his bite. That hunchback with bristles of unkempt hair; that giant nose with flaring nostrils; that snarling mouth dripping with globs of drool (undoubtedly as he imagines eating you with his pack of ugly friends).

It’s all too much for some low-levels to bear. I don’t blame them; I might also just turn around and run if I saw this creature staring me down. And I would agree for most gnolls in general — not the prettiest of beasts. Continue Reading