WOW Gold Blog

 ”I’m all for B-Movies and other eclectic references, so when I came across this I was thoroughly amused. I do not know how many people have taken note of some of the things I’m going to list for you from a site I like called the Internet Movie Database, but it does have an entertainment factor. With this in mind if anyone else has some interesting references such as these I’d love to compile more for everyone’s viewing pleasure. It definately shows us that Blizzard’s developers have a great sense of humor. So without futher adieu… One of the mini-bosses of the Defias Brotherhood in Westfall is named Benny Blaanco which refers to the gang leader of the same name in the movie Carlito’s Way. There is a lumberjack in Elwynn Forest named Terry Palin. Terry Jones and Michael Palin were members of Monty Python who (among many others) were famous for the Lumberjack Song. The three bankers in Stormwind are named Olivia, Newton and John named after the ’80s singer Olivia Newton-John. Postmaster Malown drops the item “”Malown’s Slam”" referring to NBA star Karl ‘The Mailman’ Malone. The item “”Six Demon Bag”" is a nod to John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China: sorcerer Egg Shen’s (Victor Wong) Six-Demon Bag has the power to blast enemies with “”wind, fire, all that kind of thing!”" The island off the coast of Dustwallow Marsh is called Alcaz, and even contains a huge gate like prison. Referring of course to world famous Alcatraz Island in San Francisco harbor. Sentinel Hill (the central militia base in Westfall) is also where Yog-Sothoth is summoned in the H.P. Lovecraft story, The Dunwich Horror. In the newest high-level-dungeon “”Naxxramas”", gamers could sometimes spot a cat running through this dungeon called “”Mr. Bigglesworth”". A clear pointer to Dr. Evil’s cat from the Austin Powers movies. In Un’Goro Crater there are two brothers called Larion and Muigin wearing plumbers’ clothing, a reference to the Nintendo characters Mario and Luigi. In Tanaris and Booty bay, there are Goblin engineers named Lafhorg and Scooty. An obvious reference to the Star Trek Chief Engineers Geordi Laforge and Scotty. The consumable Red Speckled Mushrooms are a clear image of the classic mushrooms in Mario. They even come with the same, small, slit-like eyes on the stalk. The “”Grand Master Engineer”" in the Zangarmarsh zone is called “”Mack Diver”" a very clear reference to MacGyver. In Stormwind, the cooking trainer is named Stephen Ryback and the cooking supplier is named Erika Tate. This is a direct reference to the movie “”Under Siege”" starring Steven Segal who played Casey Ryback and Erika Eleniak who played Jordan Tate. In the dungeon Uldaman, located in Bad Lands, you’ll meet three vikings called Erik, Baleog and Olaf. It’s a reference to the three vikings in the 1992 video-game The Lost Vikings. The Swamp of Sorrows is a reference to the Swamp of Sadness in the fantasy film, The Neverending Story In the Lower City there are characters named Adam Eternium and Oric Coe. This is a reference to He-Man of course Prince Adam of Eternia and his sidekick Orko. This character also has his “”Battle Tiger’ instead of Battle Cat. In the entrance to the Mana Tombs, there is a shady dealer by the name of “”Slim”". This is a reference to Eminem aka Slim Shady. One of the prizes for the Scarlet Monastery quest “”Into the Scarlet Monastery”" is the Sword of Omen. This is referenced to Lion-o’s Sword of Omens from Thundercats. Similarly to the Alliance battlemasters in the Lower City of Shattrath, amongst the Horde battlemasters is Keldor the Lost, a clear allusion to Skeletor, He-Man’s arch-foe, who’s original ‘human’ name was Keldor. He even comes complete with the purple tinged skin and goat skull staff. Further into the Undercity, in the War Quarter, there’s an honest to God Fight Club where you’ll find two NPC fighters named Edward and Tyler. This clearly references the film Fight Club. In the Badlands around the middle of the map is a semi-hidden crypt. Enter the crypt and you’ll see a decomposed guy sitting on a throne with a sword to his side. A clear allusion from the first Conan film. While fighting your way through the Deadmines to get VanCleef’s head you’ll encounter a Goblin Shredder. Take it down and look at the dashboard and you’ll see a familiar face: Kerrigan, The Zerg Queen from Starcraft: Brood War. She appears to be the ruler of the goblins as well. Other goblin shredders can be found in Stranglethorn Vale and Gadgetzan. A further movie allusion comes from Star Wars. In the Shimmering Flats, peek around a bit and you’ll find a goblin race team with a very familiar looking vehicle - Blizzard’s version of Sebulba’s podracer from Episode I. Do a little more exploring and you’ll also find a wrecked podracer which smacked into a canyon walls. Outside of Auberdine in Darkshore, a dwarf could be found named Glubber Bump. This is a reference to Forrest Gump (1994), when the shrimp company Forrest founds is called Bubba Gump. A quest given by Glubber is called “”Fruit of the Sea”" and Glubber details all the way you can cook crab. This is also from Forrest Gump when Bubba details all the way you can cook shrimp. In Un’Goro Crater there is a questgiver named Ringo who gives out a quest called “”With a Little Help From My Friends”". “”With A Little Help From My Friends is a song by The Beatles and Ringo Starr is a member of the Beatles In Sporaggar, Zangarmarsh, the Sporelings give a quest called “”We Want a Shrubery!!”". This is an obvious reference to the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) in which the Knights Who Say Ni demand a shrubbery from King Arthur. Amberstill Ranch is where level 40 and 60 dwarves get there ram mounts. There is an actual Amberstill Ranch near San Diego, California. In the expansion there is a quest called “”The Kessel Run”" a reference to _Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and the popular kessel run made by smugglers. In the expansion the griffin master in Blood Watch is named Laando after Lando Calrissian in Star Wars. In the expansion in the world?s end tavern in Shattrath City there is Harris Pilton with her dog Tinkerbell. Refering to Hilton millionaire Paris Hilton and her dog Tinkerbell. In The Barrens, there is a tombstone complete with a Spirit Healer, known as The Shrine of the Fallen Warrior. This is a shrine dedicated to Michael Koiter, a designer of World of Warcraft who died during development due to heart failure. In Hellfire Peninsula in the Temple of Telhamat, there is a NPC named Caregiver Ophera Windfury, in reference to the TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey. The bankers in Ironforge are named Barnum Stonemantle, Bailey Stonemantle, and Soleil Stonemantle. This is an obvious reference to the Barnum & Bailey and Cirque du Soleil circuses. The Innkeeper in Thrallmar [Hellfire] is called Floyd Pinkus and obvious reference to the band Pink Floyd. ”
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“It’s a question on many officers’ minds right now: is 10 greater than 25? It’s a question that would send any math teacher into a rage-fueled lecture about integers and number lines. But as we know, leading a guild isn’t always about quantity — quality is important, too. With the ability in Wrath to see all of the expansion’s raiding content alongside just 9 other people, this question of numbers has become a legitimate issue. Some guilds who had success at the 25-player level may opt to keep it smaller this time around. One reader wants to know how to make the switch. Scott, I am an officer in what has been a fairly successful guild. We built a great team and led it from Kara, through SSC and most of TK, and into Hyjal and BT over the past several months. But the intense effort that it took to go so far in such a short time completely exhausted me and the other officers. Along those lines, we read with great interest Blizzard’s announcement to create a 10-man raiding scene. (I also note, although it might be inappropriate to do so on wowinsider, that a forum poll on mmo-champion about 10 vs 25 raiding resulted in many more people saying they were interested in the 10-man option, with lots of comments from leaders about similar burn-out!) I’d be interested to see an article about how to transition from a 25 man team, with its due share of slackers, whiners, and drama queens, to a slimmed down 10 man team of the “”cream of the crop,”" and then to still remain a somewhat hardcore, progression-oriented team. There are a lot of logistical and administrative tasks we keep coming up against. Are other guilds in this new position as well? How are they dealing with it? Thanks! Anonymous First things first: Let’s be realistic about this. Just because you’re only raiding with 10 people doesn’t mean you’ll never find yourself in a group with a slacker, whiner, or drama queen. It just means the odds are reduced. Likewise, raiding with 10 isn’t going to make all the logistical and administrative tasks disappear. It just means that these tasks will be easier to manage. Personally, I’ve always gotten more enjoyment and satisfaction from the smaller raids, and I was also thrilled to hear about this new — and complete — 10-player raiding path. To me the advantages are clear: Easier to recruit, schedule runs, and fill slots Easier to distribute loot — rolling on drops isn’t nearly as punishing to an individual Easier to diagnose problems after a wipe Easier to figure out who isn’t pulling their weight Easier for a tight-knit crew to make adjustments on the fly and react to each other’s split-second decisions Fewer people who may get lost in the instance or need the pulls/encounters explained Fewer AFKs, disconnects, emergencies, phone calls, smoke breaks, and bio breaks Fewer egos involved, which usually means less drama This is all, of course, theoretical and by no means assured. But I’ve found it to be generally true. The problem my guild has always had is that we don’t believe in attendance policies. As a result, even though we’re a very large guild, we often had problems fielding 25 quality players who were mostly on the ball. We had no choice but to take people that we knew weren’t prepared for a raid or that we knew might cause problems. You could speak to them later about shaping up, but there was no way to really enforce preparation and focus without punishing the guild as a whole. The next time you need a healer and that problem player is all you have, you’re either going to take them or you’re going to cancel the run. Sure you can recruit someone, and over the years we’ve recruited many, many players, but eventually in a guild like mine you’re going to need that person. If someone can attend a run regardless of how prepared they are, and they know that others will do enough to make up for their lack of effort, there’s no incentive to go the extra mile. The loot isn’t any less purple for someone who isn’t flasking. It made progression sporadic. One week we’d have a solid group and down a new boss or two. The next week we’d have a weak group and wipe six times on a boss we’ve already beaten. It was a real conundrum for us. We’re not the type of guild that kicks people based solely on performance. And so we’ve thought long and hard about how our raiding will shape up at level 80. We’re still working on our plan, but it will involve rewarding the most prepared and dedicated players with suddenly very limited raid slots on the progression team. Other members can raid, too, of course, but it will be a more relaxed raiding environment. That doesn’t mean everyone else can slack. Whether someone is on the progression team or not, we’re outlining a list of minimum tasks that someone must fulfill to be eligible to raid. With such a big guild, we’re betting that even slots for the nonprogression teams will be competitive. And we’re keeping our fingers crossed that it’s enough motivation for people to follow through with their promises. We know that we have enough people who are dedicated to raiding successfully that we’ll always be able to field ten. So unlike our 25-player raids in TBC, the incentive to excel will be there from the beginning. On the other hand, it sounds like the anonymous author of the e-mail above has just the opposite problem: she has too many good raiders! Now, the immediate and obvious “”solution”" to the problem would be to make two progression teams. Do you remember when Blizzard announced that 40-player raids were being eliminated in TBC? Guild leaders complained that the transition would be too difficult. Many people said, “”What’s the big deal? Just recruit 10 more people and run two teams. Problem solved.”" I might be wrong, but I don’t remember that particular strategy working out very well for anybody. Two teams means — even two 10-player teams — means double the tasks that I listed above, rather than less. In fact it’s actually worse than managing one team of 25. You’re splitting your raid IDs, ensuring that, on the second night in any given zone, you’re stuck with the same exact people no matter who is or isn’t available. In a bad week, both teams might be shorthanded on Night 2. You’ve got those five other people from your original 25 who could fill in, but that’s not a lot of wiggle room considering they might not be the right class or spec that you need. No, going into Wrath with 25 hardcore raiders and only running 10-player raids is probably not going to work. Before you reach that point, you have to cull your population. Let’s see how you can do it humanely. First of all, the timing of this process will be important. If you start now, you might find yourself shorthanded once everything plays out. You can’t ignore the fact that Warhammer Online is launching next month. Odds are a lot of Warcraft players are going to try it out. It’s impossible to say at this point if they’ll come back to WoW or not. Age of Conan didn’t exactly win over the hearts and minds of the average MMO player. But any new MMO could potentially dent WoW’s population. Somebody has to eventually, right? So I’d hold off on trying to reduce your team until the expansion is much closer than it is now. At that point, the first step is to ask everybody on your raiding team if they will in fact be raiding in Wrath. Some may not want to. Some may have major life changes on the horizon that will prevent them from putting in the time. Odds are not every single member will be able to dedicate the same time and effort that they are today. Next, announce that you’ll be scaling back to 10-player raiding. If you’ve already identified some people who aren’t coming back, it’ll make this decision easier for your members to accept. Talk to your members about the stress and the burnout among the officers, and they’ll hopefully be more sympathetic and less angry. A few, however, may decide that they really want to raid in the 25-player path. So you could lose a few more from the team this way. Now, take a good hard look at everyone who’s left. Figure out who the “”slackers, whiners, and drama queens”" are. Talk to your fellow officers and find out if there are any particular members that the leadership collectively has concerns about or just doesn’t want to deal with in the future. Conduct private talks with those members you want to let go. Thank them for their efforts and inform them respectfully that there won’t be a slot for them in the smaller raids. I recommend that you do not volunteer any particular reasons for this decision unless they ask you to. Some will probably already know why. For them, going over the laundry list of reasons will just add insult to injury. After all this, you could be down to 12-15 people, and that’s a more reasonable number to start off with. Once the expansion launches, people may weed themselves out. They might start leveling and realize they’re just sick to death of the game. Or maybe they’ll hate the way their class plays post-70 and reroll. Plus, your members are going to level up and gear up at different paces, so having more than 10 gives you a comfort zone where you won’t have to make everyone wait for that one slow leveler. Anyone who rerolls as a Death Knight is much more likely to lag behind. You’ll want to have one eventually, but you won’t have to wait on that person before you set foot in Naxxramas. In the end, having more quality people than you have slots to fill is a great problem for an officer or raid leader to have. Trust me on this: It’s far better than not having enough! ”
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“A new spell popped up in the latest Beta build called Wintergrasp Rewards, which indicate that there might finally be another way to earn Arena points other than to participate in Arenas. Granting Arena points through Lake Wintergrasp also indicates an interesting direction for World of Warcraft PvP. Despite the ongoing and earnest efforts of Blizzard to balance classes for PvP, particularly Arenas, the format doesn’t lend itself well to a complete balancing of classes. Because of the required team synergies and map limitations, there will always be class specs that will suffer in the Arena PvP format. Battlegrounds PvP, on the other hand, is more open and spontaneous, even in pre-formed groups. No classes or specs are shunned, and every player enjoys relative viability and success. Giving Arena points through Wintergrasp achieves two things: first, it opens up Arena rewards to people who do not participate in or have limited success in Arenas; second, it greatly incentivizes participation in Lake Wintergrasp. The only question left is the matter of Personal Ratings, which is a requirement for most of the current gear, a trend likely to continue in Wrath of the Lich King. Granting both Honor and Arena points for World PvP is an interesting twist to an otherwise lackluster aspect of the game. One thing I mentioned in an analysis of Lake Wintergrasp was that it needed to be compelling enough for repeated participation, and awarding Arena points are a step towards that. Currently, the zone awards 150 Arena points for a win, along with substantial Honor. The rewards seem fairly large now (including 7500 Honor) but it’s highly likely that the numbers will be tweaked and balanced before Wrath goes live. It’s also important to note that Level 80 PvP rewards are also likely to cost substantially more points. Arena points from Lake Wintergrasp is but a small step towards making World PvP compelling, however. Aside from Arena points, which is mere currency, there need to be equally appealing rewards that are only obtainable through the Battleground. These include, but shouldn’t be limited to, titles and vanity gear. Putting gear that isn’t necessarily optimal for PvE but appealing even for PvE players might be a good way to spark interest in a World PvP Battleground, such as vanity pets. There is no vanity pet obtainable through PvP, although I’ve often wished for one, maybe with an appropriate Arena rating requirement that doesn’t decay through Seasons and appropriately high enough — maybe 2100 — to ensure rarity. The important thing about the revelation of this reward mechanic is how open Blizzard is into exploring options for players. If these measures make it all the way through release, it means that players will have access to Arena gear without having to participate in rated Arena matches. It will also mean that Arena points can be calculated in real time, rather than weekly. It will be interesting to see how Blizzard will handle the conversion or carry-over of Arena points through Level 80 as well as the implementation of Arena Ratings outside of Arena play. With small details being put into the development of Lake Wintergrasp, I’m just a little more excited to see how it finally turns out when everything is finally in place. ” “Alice Taylor has quite the eye for scoping out awesome gaming crafts, and just recently, she did a nice roundup (and another post) that had two great handmade WoW items in it. cheap wow gold First up was this great-looking Sin’dorei (that’s Blood Elf, in case you’re not up on your Thalassian) tank top — it was originally a T-shirt that the maker, smarmyclothes, turned into a tank top with some industrious cutting and stiching. Looks great — at $52, the price is a little steep, but then again, this is a one-of-a-kind handmade item, so you get what you pay for. And second was this Murky hair bow — to tell the truth, I have no idea what a hair bow does (it must tie hair back or something, right. mp3 players ), but I am a huge Murky fan, or at least a fan of /punting the little guy, so any article of clothing with him on it, no matter what it’s for, gets my approval. The bows are two for $11, and it looks like there’s only one in stock, so SugarPopRibbons is probably making them to order. But I’m sure if you’re patient, you can get your hands (or hair, I guess) on one Be careful what you ask for Amidst all the excitement surrounding the coming of Wrath and the beta testing revelations, I have a question. world of warcraft gold Does anybody care that Death Knights will be OP. I disagree with my fellow bloggers when they surmise that the upcoming Wrath world will not be overpopulated by Death Knights. On the contrary, I think you won’t be able to sneeze without three Death Knights around you to say Gesundheit. wow gold And what’s more I think they won’t be a flash-in-the-pan like the Blood Elves and Draenei overpopulations were. I believe this because I hate tanking and have never liked playing melee classes (my main is an elemental shaman and my highest alt is a warlock) and yet I’m having HUGE fun in the beta realm playing a Death Knight. I’ve played the class PvE to level 65, trying all three specs multiple times. wow gold I no longer fear dueling. I solo group quests that are above my level. I can approach elites one level higher than myself, alone and with no fear. wow gold kaufen I just run into a group of mobs with little strategy and almost always survive.
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