WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/WoW Insider ShowEvery week, the WoW Insider Show brings you news and views from the World of Warcraft and the site that covers it all, WoW Insider. We introduce a panel of rotating guests, including bloggers from WoW Insider and other WoW blogs, and many popular personalities from around the WoW community. From the live listener chat and polls during the show, to the emails direct from listeners (reach us at theshow@wow.com), right on to the "meat" of the show -- in-depth discussion of the most popular news and posts on WoW Insider -- the WoW Insider Show is a terrific source of news and entertainment about what's going on with Blizzard and their World of Warcraft. Listen live every Saturday at 3:30 pm Eastern on our Ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show) or subscribe to the feed and let us know what you think by reviewing the show right here in iTunes.Mists of Pandaria Beta: Certain PvP maps may be blacklistablehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/certain-pvp-maps-may-be-blacklistable-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/certain-pvp-maps-may-be-blacklistable-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/13/certain-pvp-maps-may-be-blacklistable-in-mists-of-pandaria/#commentsFiled under: ,

Image
In the latest Mists of Pandaria beta patch, Wowhead has uncovered some quite interesting new client strings that might herald a change in the way you choose which Arena or Battleground to fight in.
  • ERR_PVP_BLACKLIST_CAP = "You have already blacklisted the maximum number of maps."
  • ERR_PVP_MAP_NOT_FOUND = "Blacklisted map not set."
To me, this seems like an excellent idea for Arena players. There's always lots of controversy about the random damage and LoS components found on some maps (hello, Ring of Valor); this would let you avoid that entirely. Of course, that means you can no longer use it as an excuse, either -- so you may not want to reach for the blacklist too quickly. While I don't do much in Arenas, I certainly wouldn't mind a way to ensure not getting WSG three times in a row.

One concern, though, is if Blizzard allows too much blacklisting, that could make matchmaking much more difficult. A smooth matchmaking process has been one of the highlights of WoW compared to other online games, so any algorithm tweaks have to be made carefully.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

WoW InsiderMists of Pandaria Beta: Certain PvP maps may be blacklistable originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 13 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arenaarenasbattlegroundbattlegroundsnewspvpring-of-valorChase HasbrouckSun, 13 May 2012 13:00:00 EST2012 Arena Pass Ranked Ladder Phase 1 has begun!http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/10/2012-arena-pass-ranked-ladder-phase-1-has-begun/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/10/2012-arena-pass-ranked-ladder-phase-1-has-begun/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/10/2012-arena-pass-ranked-ladder-phase-1-has-begun/#commentsFiled under:

Image
The 2012 Arena Pass Ranked Ladder Phase 1 has begun! This incredibly well-titled section of the Arena Pass realm has kicked off in the United States and Europe, signaling the start of the ranked phases. EU players need to remember that all the dates in this article should be adjusted to one day later for EU realms.

What does it all mean? Well, if you've been in the practice phase, your rating will be reset to 0, and if you add new people to your team after this point, you'll be penalized by 150 points of rating. So if you had a rating of 300 and added a player to your roster, your rating would be adjusted to 150. Sense made? Good! It's not wholly clear whether a team with a rating of 0 would be moved to a rating of -150, but I sincerely doubt it -- and to be honest, it shouldn't be too hard to gain 150 rating points.

If a player leaves your team, you won't be penalized, to the misery of PvPing trolls everywhere.

This phase will run until May 22, at which point Ranked Ladder Phase 2 will begin and team roster changes will not be permitted, so get your teams sorted out as soon as you can. Registration is open until the end of May 22, so if you want to get involved in the Arena Pass, it's not too late to sign up.

If you want your Murkimus, then now's the time to get in the 50 3v3 games required to get him on your live realm characters. Any games you played prior to the Ranked Phase won't count toward earning him, so get involved!

Also, don't forget that if you are in the top 1,000 teams at the end of the Ranked Ladder Phase 2, you'll be getting a Vanquisher title on the live realm. By signing up for this Arena Pass, you're also getting access to an exclusive Level 90 Arena Pass Realm once you've upgraded your account to Mists of Pandaria.

To the victors, the spoils -- and also to the participants in more than 50 ranked games!

WoW Insider2012 Arena Pass Ranked Ladder Phase 1 has begun! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 10 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>2012-arena-passarenaarena-guidearena-passarena-pass-2012arena-ratingarena-stratsarena-tipsarenasfeaturedguidemurkimusMurkimus-the-Gladiatorpvp-guideranked-laddervanquishervanquisher-titlewow-arenawow-arena-guideOlivia GraceThu, 10 May 2012 09:00:00 ESTReddit user wins AV like a real championhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/reddit-user-wins-av-like-a-real-champion/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/reddit-user-wins-av-like-a-real-champion/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/reddit-user-wins-av-like-a-real-champion/#commentsFiled under: ,

Image
Alterac Valley has been a brutal contest between the Alliance and the Horde since the beginning of World of Warcraft. The Battleground has gone through radical redesigns over the years, but one thing has remained the same -- Alterac Valley has always held a powerful, destructive secret for the brave to exploit when there was otherwise no hope for victory.

Reddit user frodwith posted a tale of an epic AV battle, an Alliance team on the ropes, and a force awakened in the snowy chasm that has not seen the light of day in long, long time. When a full team of Horde multiboxers (players who use multiple characters simultaneously) garrisoned themselves into Drek'thar's keep to farm honor, the Alliance had to take drastic measures.

Some people do not even know of the existence of Ivus the Forest Lord or Lokholar the Ice Lord, two nasty NPCs that are spawnable by turning in the faction's respective items. After a summoning ritual, the faction's NPC will spawn and set upon a path of destruction all the way to the enemy leader's keep.

I think you can see where this story might go. With Drek'thar heavily guarded and an expert team of computer-assisted players between the Alliance and victory, everyone worked together to begin the summoning rituals. Read the full story on Reddit for a fun, nostalgic time of triumph and PvP adversity.

WoW InsiderReddit user wins AV like a real champion originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 08 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>alterac-valleyavdrek-thardrektharivuslokholarredditstormpikevanndarVanndar-StormpikeMathew McCurleyTue, 08 May 2012 19:00:00 ESTBlizzard MVPs create Cross-Realm Rated Battlegrounds sitehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/blizzard-mvps-create-cross-realm-rated-battlegrounds-site/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/blizzard-mvps-create-cross-realm-rated-battlegrounds-site/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/blizzard-mvps-create-cross-realm-rated-battlegrounds-site/#commentsFiled under: ,

Image
First, we had a cross-realm raid group site. Now, Blizzard forum MVPs Eldacar and Cyaga have created The LFG List, a cross-realm group finder for players to get involved in Rated Battlegrounds. Part of the group's Battlemasters site, The LFG List is currently active in the United States only; other versions will be rolled out after the U.S. version has been running smoothly for a while.

How do you get onto the list? Well, that's simple!

If you are ready for a Battleground or two within the next hour, head over to the start page and choose your faction. That will take you to a page with an IRC window and an entry screen below it. Type in your realm and your character's name in the entry screen to retrieve your basic details from the Armory. You can add in notes and doublecheck that your main spec and off spec are correct.

Note the IRC Name section -- this is where you fill in the name that you're using in the live IRC chat above. This way, you can give yourself an IRC name of your choosing and seek out Rated Battleground buddies with any character. Other IRC users will see your name in the list and can contact you directly -- and you're off! Your entry stays up for an hour, so if you're looking for groups further in advance, you can head over to the Battlemasters Forums and make a post.

As an aside, the Horde chat seems currently rather more popular than the Alliance chat, hence the split channels. As a mainly Alliance player myself, I'm not OK with this! So I'm putting the call out to my fellow humans, dwarves, draenei, worgen, gnomes and night elves: People of the Alliance! Get on over to The LFG List and get involved!

WoW InsiderBlizzard MVPs create Cross-Realm Rated Battlegrounds site originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arena-stratsbattleground-groupsbattlegroundsCross-Realm-BattlegroundsCrossRealmCrossRealmBattlegroundsfeaturedhow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-guiderated-battlegroundRated-Battlegroundsrated-bgsrbgrbg-finderrbg-groupsRbgGroupsrealIDrealid-battlegroundOlivia GraceFri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:00 ESTMore addons and extras for your PvP UIhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/more-addons-and-extras-for-your-pvp-ui/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/more-addons-and-extras-for-your-pvp-ui/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/25/more-addons-and-extras-for-your-pvp-ui/#commentsFiled under: ,

Image
WoW Insider covers the world of player vs. player action in Blood Sport for fans of Battleground, world PvP and Arena play. Steering you to victory is Olivia Grace, who has spent the past two weeks adding additional addons.

A while back in January, I wrote a guide to PvP addons and UI settings. This week's column will talk about a bunch of addons that aren't necessarily ones I'd recommend, so please, please head on over to the old column rather than just downloading everything on this page!

Don't want to read a whole other column? Well, all right, then. I'll sum it up really fast for you here, and then we'll get into the fun bit! What's the fun bit? Well, a bunch of people last week suggested new addons for me to try or for others to use, and a few have suggested others to me more recently -- so here's where I try them! How is that fun? Oh, shush. Trying new things is great! As long as they're legal.

At the time of writing the first piece, before starting my research for this one, my default addon set for Battlegrounds was:
  • REFlex gets top billing, since it's always on, all the time, for every character. It's a data gathering addon that tells you all your Battleground and Arena wins and losses ever. It's exportable as a CSV file for you data geeks out there, simply the best way to keep up with your stats.
  • LoseControl is another great one that's always on for every character. Whenever you lose control of your character or their abilities via a silence, stun, or otherwise, it puts the icon for that ability in the centre of your screen with a pie-chart timer for the duration.
  • SaySapped does exactly what it says on the tin. Always on, though not really needed in Arena when you're Skyping. If you get sapped, you say "sapped." Alerts people in the area of your sappy state.
  • Healers Have to Die is mean, right? But if the healers aren't from your faction and you're in a BG, they do. Puts a mark on a healer's head that's extremely obvious. Default settings need to be told to chill, or they'll spam you to insanity and beyond!
  • SmartTargeting makes your tab target your nearest enemy rather than your nearest enemy unit in PvP scenarios. What does that mean? Well, in a BG, you don't have to tab through a gang of venemous snakes to get to the hunter. Just click? Sure, but I like tab targeting, OK?

Continue reading More addons and extras for your PvP UI

WoW InsiderMore addons and extras for your PvP UI originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>add-onadd-on-configurationadd-on-guideaddon-configurationaddon-guideaddonsarenaarena-guidearena-stratsarena-tipsarenasfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-addonpvp-addonspvp-guidewow-add-onwow-add-on-guidewow-add-onswow-addon-guidewow-addonswow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guideOlivia GraceWed, 25 Apr 2012 17:00:00 ESTThe 2012 Arena Pass has begun!http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/the-2012-arena-pass-has-begun/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/the-2012-arena-pass-has-begun/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/the-2012-arena-pass-has-begun/#commentsFiled under: ,

Image
People of Azeroth: Sharpen your axes, tighten your bowstrings, and polish up your hammers so they're shiny and ready for justice. The Arena Pass 2012 has begun! Unless you're in the EU, in which case you get an extra night of polishing time. Use it well -- I know I will!

Today, the Practice Phase began and will last until May 8. As the name suggests, this is for practice. If you're after a Murkimus or a Vanquisher title for your live realm characters, you should absolutely use this period to form teams and get ready to go, but your games won't count toward your eventual ranking or toward your title or pet.

On May 8, your rating will be reset to 0, and Ranked Ladder Phase 1 (snappy title) begins. Matches played in this period will count toward pets and titles, as well as eventual ranking. Once you're into this phase, your team will lose 150 points of rating if you take on new players, so try to make sure your team roster is sorted out before May 8. If a player leaves your team, you won't be penalized.

From May 22 to June 5, the final phase, aka Ranked Ladder Phase 2, is in action. This phase is exactly the same as Ranked Phase 1, except that no team switching is allowed.

To get yourself a Murkimus, you'll need to play 50 3v3 games between May 8 and June 5. To get a Vanquisher title, you'll need to be among the top 1,000 teams on June 5.

If you haven't registered yet and want a piece of the Arena Pass action, it's not too late! You can sign up until May 22. And if you're in the EU, you need to add 1 to all the dates above. You can entertain yourselves by doing that until the event opens tomorrow!

Lastly, don't forget that by signing up for this Arena Pass realm, you will also qualify for exclusive access to a Level 90 Arena Pass realm after you've upgraded your account to Mists of Pandaria!

WoW InsiderThe 2012 Arena Pass has begun! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arenaarena-guidearena-passarena-pass-2012arena-stratsarena-tipsarenasbreakingfeaturedguidehow-to-pvppvp-guidewow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guideOlivia GraceTue, 24 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST2012 Arena Pass registration now openhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/2012-arena-pass-registration-now-open-weds-if-poss/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/2012-arena-pass-registration-now-open-weds-if-poss/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/2012-arena-pass-registration-now-open-weds-if-poss/#commentsFiled under:

Image
Last night, Blizzard annouced that registration has opened for the 2012 Arena Pass! Players registering will have access to arena geared level 85 characters, as well as a host of epic gear to choose from as they battle their way to the top. Gold is no object on the Arena Pass realm. You can have whatever you want, including training, respecs and gear.

The top 1,000 players will earn an exclusive Vanquisher title for their live realm character, and all players will receive access to an exclusive level 90 Arena Pass realm after they upgrade their account to Mists of Pandaria. What's more, players who participate in 50 or more rated Arena Pass games on one character and with the same team by the end of the six weeks will be eligible to receive the Armored Murloc pet for their live characters.

You can create up to three level 85 characters, all of which will be started at level 85 with a "hefty sum" of gold, parachuted in to a starting zone. Once you have your level 85, you'll need to get on board with a 3v3 team, which, as on live realms, can have up to six players on their roster.

The first two weeks are for practice, to allow players to meet, form teams, and get some matches in that won't count toward their eventual ranking, although teams will gain rating as normal. After the first two weeks, all ratings will be reset to zero, and for the next two weeks, there will be a -150 rating penalty for team roster changes. Teams will build ranking from the third week until the end of the six-week period.

In the final two weeks, rosters will be locked down and no changes will be permitted. If you want to change team rosters around in the final two weeks, you'll need to start a new team.

Good luck!

WoW Insider2012 Arena Pass registration now open originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arenaarena-guidearena-passarena-stratsarena-tipsarenasbreakingfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvplevel-90pvp-guidewow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guideOlivia GraceWed, 11 Apr 2012 12:00:00 ESTThis Too Shall Pass: Balance and imbalance in World of Warcrafthttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/09/this-too-shall-pass-balance-and-imbalance-in-world-of-warcraft/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/09/this-too-shall-pass-balance-and-imbalance-in-world-of-warcraft/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/09/this-too-shall-pass-balance-and-imbalance-in-world-of-warcraft/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Image
First off, we know that game balance is an eternal goal. As the game evolves and becomes more complex (as it does every expansion, because new abilities are introduced and new classes or races make their debut), balancing them all for every role they can fill and every aspect of the game (Arena PvP, BGs, 5-man instances, raiding) becomes ever more complicated. Abilities that seem minor in impact can mushroom in importance due to synergy with other talents or abilities. As an example, Vengeance in PvP became important enough to cause it to be turned off, as gear improved and health pools rose.

This has been the case in World of Warcraft since its debut. Heck, thanks to Indalamar, warriors got nerfed before the game went live. Balance is ephemeral. Your class may be on top one day, but your day will end. Anyone who's tanked for the past six years can attest to the roller coaster of which class is best at which aspect of the role. There was a time where paladins were the undisputed kings of AoE tanking, a time before Death and Decay or Blood and Thunder.

Continue reading This Too Shall Pass: Balance and imbalance in World of Warcraft

WoW InsiderThis Too Shall Pass: Balance and imbalance in World of Warcraft originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>balancebalancingClass-BalanceDPSExpansionsgame-balancehealPatchestankMatthew RossiMon, 09 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST2012 World of Warcraft Arena Pass coming soonhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/04/2012-world-of-warcraft-arena-pass-coming-soon/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/04/2012-world-of-warcraft-arena-pass-coming-soon/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/04/2012-world-of-warcraft-arena-pass-coming-soon/#commentsFiled under: ,

Image
The 2012 Arena Pass season is soon upon us, with sign-ups starting on April 10 for all the PvP action you can shake a stick at. With the Arena Pass, you get access to the private PvP, level 85 premade realm that gives you everything you'd need to outfit PvP characters in the best stuff around, as well as a world that acts as a dedicated Arena match facilitator.

For those of you on the fence about whether to try out the Arena Pass, Blizzard is once again offering up Murkimus the Gladiator to any player who play and participate in some fights. The best of the best are awarded with the Vanquisher title, and players who sign up now will get access to a level 90 PvP realm for Mists of Pandaria PvP events coming when the expansion goes live.

Check out more information on the official World of Warcraft community site.

Continue reading 2012 World of Warcraft Arena Pass coming soon

WoW Insider2012 World of Warcraft Arena Pass coming soon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arenaarena-passarena-pass-2012breakingmurkimusMurkimus-the-GladiatorpvpMathew McCurleyWed, 04 Apr 2012 12:00:00 ESTPvP twinking for dummieshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/28/pvp-twinking-for-dummies-wed/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/28/pvp-twinking-for-dummies-wed/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/28/pvp-twinking-for-dummies-wed/#commentsFiled under: ,

WoW Insider covers the world of player vs. player action in Blood Sport for fans of Battleground, world PvP and Arena play. Steering you to victory is Olivia Grace, who spends most of her time in Azeroth making with the stabby and turning people into frogs.

So we're getting to that time in the expansion. People are winding down a bit, relaxing their playstyles, taking a break from raiding after getting their last targets down and killing a certain dragon on whatever mode takes their fancy.

So what do you do? Why, PvP! Of course, you can take your beloved max-level main, convert all that valor you don't need after completely gearing yourself in 397s or better into conquest, and get on the PvP train. Your justice points, of course, convert to honor (not at quite such a good rate), and that legendary staff you got when Firelands was still cool will do just fine. Better than fine, in fact. (Grumble, grumble.) But my residual bitterness about PvE gear in PvP is not what we're here to talk about today, nor is max-level PvP conversion. No, my lovely reader, we're here to talk about twinking.

What on earth is twinking? Well, it's when people level a character ... then stop. They might lock their XP or just not actively level at max speed for a level or two. In PvP, twinking centers around Battleground brackets and Arena levels, and it's really good fun!

First and foremost, you need to know how to lock XP, if you want to. Simply visit Behsten for Alliance or Slahtz for Horde. Bring 10 gold with you. It should be noted that locking XP is definitely not a requirement for twinked PvP! On certain battlegroups (my main battlegroup sadly included), XP-locked Battlegrounds leave you with a wait time that is "undetermined" -- you're not getting in any time soon. Exploits that get you around it are just that -- exploits. Blizzard may well borrow Adam Holisky's Ban Hammer!

Continue reading PvP twinking for dummies

WoW InsiderPvP twinking for dummies originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arenaarena-guidearena-stratsarena-tipsarenasfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvppvp-guidepvp-twinkpvp-twinkingtwinktwink-geartwink-guidetwink-helptwinkingwow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guideOlivia GraceWed, 28 Mar 2012 20:00:00 ESTEarly Mists of Pandaria talents and PvPhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/early-mists-of-pandaria-talents-and-pvp/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/early-mists-of-pandaria-talents-and-pvp/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/early-mists-of-pandaria-talents-and-pvp/#commentsFiled under: , ,

WoW Insider covers the world of player vs. player action in Blood Sport for fans of Battleground, world PvP and Arena play. Steering you to victory is Olivia Grace, who spends most of her time in Azeroth as a restoration shaman turning people into frogs.

The Mists talent trees have been up for a little while now, and we've all had a chance to look through them for our specific classes. I can tell you right now, I'm excited. Gone are the days of the boring talent -- you know, the one like Bane that shortens the cast time of a spell by 0.5 seconds. To my mind, the majority of these talents are like the special, gold-bordered one that you get excited about working toward as you level.

Now, a caveat, as we must have said a hundred times here at WoW Insider over the past few weeks that these are in their early stages and definitely not set in stone. I mean, heck, some of them aren't even finished yet! But the ones that are there are pretty exciting from a PvP perspective.

In order to avoid boring you with a huge, long list laying out each talent and discussing its potential PvP implications, I'm going to bundle them into a few categories. Trust me, I've done that discussion in my head, and it wasn't pretty. But first, let's consider these in a more overarching way. Right now, if you're facing, for example, a restoration shaman in Arena, you're likely going to have a pretty good idea of their abilities. They cast shields -- one that generates health when you hit it, and one that generates mana. They have a totem that avoids fear effects, one that grounds spells, one that increases spirit, and one that shares out the health of everyone in the swirly disco.

Continue reading Early Mists of Pandaria talents and PvP

WoW InsiderEarly Mists of Pandaria talents and PvP originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arenaarena-guidearena-stratsarena-tipsarenasfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvpmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-pvpmists-of-pandaria-speculationmists-of-pandaria-talent-changesmists-of-pandaria-talentspvp-guidewow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guideOlivia GraceWed, 14 Mar 2012 14:00:00 ESTDaxxarri clarifies PvP and PvE gear changes in Mists of Pandariahttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/07/daxxarri-clarifies-pvp-and-pve-gear-changes-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/07/daxxarri-clarifies-pvp-and-pve-gear-changes-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/07/daxxarri-clarifies-pvp-and-pve-gear-changes-in-mists-of-pandaria/#commentsFiled under: ,

Daxxarri took to the forums to clarify for players that the world will not end when the relative items levels of PvE and PvP gear change in the next expansion. Players have been confused as to what Blizzard meant when it indicated that PvP gear in Mists of Pandaria will be a lower item level than its PvE counterpart but more effective in PvP because of the addition of a free stat to the item's budget that boosts its effectiveness against other players.

Blizzard is making this change for many reasons, one of which is to stop player abuse of PvP gear's item level to inflate their scores to enter dungeons via the Dungeon and Raid Finders earlier than they should. Resilience is being changed to a PvP-centric stat that does not cost anything in an item's budget and enhances the item's effectiveness in PvP. The item's effectiveness in PvE, however, would be that of similarly leveled PvE gear.

This turns the best PvP gear into relatively decent PvE gear with a lower item level. The highest tier of PvP gear will still be the best gear for fighting other players because of the new stat that the highest tier of PvE gear is lacking, regardless of item level. If you PvP, wear PvP gear. If you PvE, wear PvE gear. Now, however, going between the two won't be as severe as it is right now.

Hit the jump for Daxxarri's posts and explanations in full regarding PvP and PvE gear.

Continue reading Daxxarri clarifies PvP and PvE gear changes in Mists of Pandaria

WoW InsiderDaxxarri clarifies PvP and PvE gear changes in Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>blue-postblue-postsbreakingdaxxarrimists-of-pandarianew-item-levelspvepve-gearpvppvp-gearMathew McCurleyWed, 07 Mar 2012 17:00:00 ESTOne gear set for PvE and PvP in Mists of Pandaria?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/07/one-gear-set-for-pve-and-pvp-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/07/one-gear-set-for-pve-and-pvp-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/07/one-gear-set-for-pve-and-pvp-in-mists-of-pandaria/#commentsFiled under: ,

This has been coming up quite a lot following Ghostcrawler's recent Coffee with the Devs (where's my vanilla latte, devs?), and I thought it was something worthy of a moment's thought. I'm assuming here that all gear is equal in stats according to ilevel and it can all have PvP power/defense, or none of it can.

EDIT: I want to make it clear that this is purely hypothetical, and imagined! Blizzard aren't doing this. I'm wondering what's stopping them.

Now, I understand that back in the halcyon days before The Burning Crusade, resilience didn't exist in its current form. Please note, however, that this isn't meant to be a discussion on that period of WoW. So what would be the positive and negative aspects of such a system? One area where I see a bit of a struggle emerging is as follows: How do you get this gear? How does it scale? Where does the best gear come from?

If I were a dev (with or without my coffee), I'd have to say that one's a tricky one. I suppose you could let people earn points from both PvE and PvP and have them spend those points, similar to valor or conquest now, except both are taken to the same vendor. You could still have lower tiers of gear available for honor or justice equivalents that are easier to reach.

Continue reading One gear set for PvE and PvP in Mists of Pandaria?

WoW InsiderOne gear set for PvE and PvP in Mists of Pandaria? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arenaarena-guidearena-stratsarena-tipsarenasfeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussionguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvpidle-speculationmistsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-gearmists-of-pandaria-pvpmists-of-pandaria-speculationmoppvp-guideworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-discussionwow-guidewow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsOlivia GraceWed, 07 Mar 2012 15:00:00 ESTLooking at the PvP stat changes outlined by Ghostcrawlerhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/looking-at-thee-pvp-stats-changes-outlined-by-ghostcrawler/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/looking-at-thee-pvp-stats-changes-outlined-by-ghostcrawler/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/looking-at-thee-pvp-stats-changes-outlined-by-ghostcrawler/#commentsFiled under: ,

I'm sure you all have seen the latest Dev Watercooler by the big man (Lead Systems Designer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street) himself. And I'm sure you will all have noticed the biggest news in there (in my opinion, anyway) is the section about the PvP-related changes to resilience.

Disclaimer: This is not absolute. Just like the changes, it's almost impossible to see how they will play out without trying them for ourselves once the beta comes along. But I want to hear your opinions, both on these changes and on my thoughts. Let's talk it out, people!

First and foremost, I don't know about you, but I am really not digging the names. I reckon a tidy solution might be to sling in a PvP section in the character pane. If Blizzard did it within the character pane, it would just avoid the clumsiness of adding the "PvP" into the actual stat, and (I think) it would make it easy for players to understand what they were looking at.

Of course, Blizzard could call the new stats "Bob" and "Vera" for all it would really matter to their performance!

Continue reading Looking at the PvP stat changes outlined by Ghostcrawler

WoW InsiderLooking at the PvP stat changes outlined by Ghostcrawler originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arenaarena-guidearena-stratsarena-tipsarenasfeaturedGhostcrawlerghostcrawler-blogghostcrawler-promised-me-a-ponyguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvpmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-pvpmists-of-pandaria-speculationmists-pvpmop-changesMop-pvppvp-guideresiliencewow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guideOlivia GraceTue, 06 Mar 2012 14:00:00 ESTIs PvP gear good enough for heroics?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/is-pvp-gear-good-enough-for-heroics/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/is-pvp-gear-good-enough-for-heroics/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/is-pvp-gear-good-enough-for-heroics/#commentsFiled under: ,

I don't really PvP these days. In vanilla, I had plenty of fun with my priest, running around and healing people who were on the mad dash for High Warlord. Back then, there wasn't really much in the way of PvP-appropriate gear -- in fact, when the honor system began, the most effective and deadly people you ran across in Battlegrounds were those who were raiding and collecting tier gear.

I remember that fact particularly infuriated a friend of mine, who over the course of vanilla did nothing but PvP, although at the time that meant basically running around Southshore and Tarren Mill. When the honor system was introduced, there was a contest held by Blizzard for those who engaged in PvP, and the top characters on the realm who got the most amount of honorable kills were rewarded with a special tabard. My friend spent weeks in Tarren Mill, happily murdering Alliance until his fingers bled, and he won his tabard handily -- after all, nobody really did as much PvP as he did. Then the Battlegrounds came out.

When he stepped into Battlegrounds, he discovered that despite the fact that he did nothing but PvP, he couldn't hold a candle against those people who engaged in raiding. The gear and weapons that they got from raiding were too powerful. And that's when he threw up his hands, said he didn't want to have to raid to be good at PvP, and promptly stopped playing the game.

Continue reading Is PvP gear good enough for heroics?

WoW InsiderIs PvP gear good enough for heroics? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>dungeon-finderdungeonsepic-gearheroic-dungeonspurple-gearpve-gearpvp-gearraid-finderwow-heroic-dungeonsAnne StickneyMon, 05 Mar 2012 15:00:00 ESTWhat are multiboxers and how do you fight one in PvP?http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/01/what-is-multiboxing-and-how-do-you-fight-them-in-pvp/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/01/what-is-multiboxing-and-how-do-you-fight-them-in-pvp/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/01/what-is-multiboxing-and-how-do-you-fight-them-in-pvp/#commentsFiled under:

Multiboxing is kind of an odd phenomena that doesn't repeat anywhere in WoW. It's definitely weird. My point isn't that people who multibox are some kind of weird mutant freaks or anything. Rather, the point is that as often as you hear about it and for all the vitriol often directed at people who multibox, you'd think a small army of multiboxers camp each realm, stamping out flowers and spewing vile curses at the authorities. That clearly isn't the case.

While multiboxers are very rare, especially the folks running an entire party in a single Battleground, they're still fairly notable. That's because one person controlling multiple accounts coordinates sending an awful lot of damage down your pie-hole all at one time. A good multiboxer will just plain ruin your day. You won't see multiboxers often, but you'll definitely remember the encounter.

Multiboxing is the practice in which a single player controls multiple characters at once. The fine technology of how that player pulls that trick off is a little different for each player, of course. In general, they string together several accounts to one keyboard. That means all the characters act with amazing precision -- five damaging spells, five heals, five actions all at the same time.

Continue reading What are multiboxers and how do you fight one in PvP?

WoW InsiderWhat are multiboxers and how do you fight one in PvP? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>featuredguidehow-to-play-wownew-to-world-of-warcraftnoob-guiderookie-guideworld-of-warcraft-guideworld-of-warcraft-helpworld-of-warcraft-noobsworld-of-warcraft-rookieswow-guidewow-helpwow-noob-guidewow-noobswow-to-play-world-of-warcraftMichael GrayThu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST5 ways to fail at Battlegroundshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/29/5-ways-to-fail-at-battlegrounds/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/29/5-ways-to-fail-at-battlegrounds/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/29/5-ways-to-fail-at-battlegrounds/#commentsFiled under: ,

WoW Insider covers the world of player vs. player action in Blood Sport for fans of Battleground, world PvP and Arena play. Steering you to victory is Olivia Grace, who spends most of her time in Azeroth as a restoration shaman turning people into frogs.

Battlegrounds are usually the new PvPer's first foray into PvP, unless of course you're on a PvP server, in which case you're thrown unwittingly into the world of the ongoing Horde vs. Alliance conflight almost from day one. A Battleground is very likely to be your first go at cooperative PvP and certainly your first go at cooperative PvP with strangers. There are 10 Battlegrounds available to you -- fewer when you start out, then gradually added as you increase in level. All these Battlegrounds have objectives, the majority of which are assessed by points on a counter at the top of your screen. Once one side either gains the required total points or completely runs out of points, the Battleground is won.

There are, of course, strategies associated with each map. As the maps and objectives grow more complicated, so do the tactics. But a Risk-style grand stratagem is not what we're looking for here and certainly wouldn't comply with our word limit!

What we're interested in is how not to play in Battlegrounds. Your team may not lose the Battleground because you made these simple mistakes, but it will certainly make it harder for them to win. So don't be the guy who's failing at Battlegrounds! How? Well, read on! (There are of course times and situations when these rules don't apply, particularly on those rare occasions when your team actually has a strategy that it's following.)

Continue reading 5 ways to fail at Battlegrounds

WoW Insider5 ways to fail at Battlegrounds originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>alliancearenaarena-guidearena-stratsarena-tipsarenasbattlegroundbattleground-failbattleground-guidebattleground-helpbattlegroundsguidehordehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvplose-battlegroundspvp-guidepvp-helpwin-at-battlegroundswin-battlegroundswow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guideOlivia GraceWed, 29 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST3 things Battlegrounds should borrow from SW:TOR's Warzoneshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/22/3-things-battlegrounds-should-borrow-from-sw-tors-warzones/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/22/3-things-battlegrounds-should-borrow-from-sw-tors-warzones/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/22/3-things-battlegrounds-should-borrow-from-sw-tors-warzones/#commentsFiled under:

We talked the other day about three things I learned to love about Battlegrounds by playing Star Wars: The Old Republic's Warzones. Honestly, I stopped at three on purpose. There's so much to complain about in Warzones that it could keep a retribution paladin (which I am) busy for weeks. But I didn't want to give the wrong impression; I really do enjoy SW:TOR Warzones.

Warzones offer a different game, different playstyle, and significant change of pace for a grizzled PvP veteran. While I could just go all mushy about my assault cannon, I'm more interested in the design aspects that really work well in Warzones. With that in mind, here are three things I think WoW should borrow from Warzones.

(And no, I'm not talking about Huttball here. Huttball is fun and all, but it's just a specific game. That'd be like saying "SW:TOR isn't good because of Alterac Valley." That's not particularly helpful, even if I do love scoring a goal through a sweet ball-passing chain. I'm talking about overall game dynamics.)

Continue reading 3 things Battlegrounds should borrow from SW:TOR's Warzones

WoW Insider3 things Battlegrounds should borrow from SW:TOR's Warzones originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>battlegroundbattlegroundsbgspvpstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorwarzoneswzwzsMichael GrayWed, 22 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST3 things Warzones taught me to love about Battlegroundshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/20/3-things-warzones-taught-me-to-love-about-battlegrounds/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/20/3-things-warzones-taught-me-to-love-about-battlegrounds/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/20/3-things-warzones-taught-me-to-love-about-battlegrounds/#commentsFiled under:

OK, I admit it. I've been trying out PvP in Star Wars: The Old Republic. You can't claim to have diverse knowledge of disparate PvP systems if you don't ever, you know, play other games. "I hear it's hard to get the huttball across the line" isn't quite the same as "You touch the huttball and 15 Sith Juggernauts appear and teabag you like the Lipton Army."

That doesn't mean I've quit my time in WoW Battlegrounds. Not to offend any saber-jockeys out there, but the PvP in WoW is better. Don't get me wrong. I'm having a great time firing rockets and dodging laser swords, but WoW's PvP has been honed as a separate game style. Its balance and play is beautiful and elegant. I didn't even realize how true that was until I spent some time in SW:TOR's analogous group PvP area, called Warzones.

Let me put my money where my mouth is. This is a (small) list of things I've learned to love about Battlegrounds from doing Warzones.

Continue reading 3 things Warzones taught me to love about Battlegrounds

WoW Insider3 things Warzones taught me to love about Battlegrounds originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>battlegroundbattlegroundsbgsstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorwarzonewarzonesMichael GrayMon, 20 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST3 skills to improve your Arena performancehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/15/3-skills-to-improve-your-arena-performance/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/15/3-skills-to-improve-your-arena-performance/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/15/3-skills-to-improve-your-arena-performance/#commentsFiled under: ,

WoW Insider covers the world of player vs. player action in Blood Sport for fans of Battleground, world PvP and Arena play. Steering you to victory is Olivia Grace, who spends most of her time in Azeroth as a restoration shaman turning people into frogs.

One thing I'm asked fairly regularly is the following: What can I do to improve in Arena? My usual response is a slew of questions. First, how much resilience do you have? I've spoken about this in past articles, so I won't harp on about it here. The second question is simply do you practice? Again, as I've mentioned, practice makes perfect. That is really the most important thing you can do to make yourself a better player in the Arena, so take every opportunity. Even on my healers, I generally fly around on my non-PvP realm with PvP switched on. I'm not going to be able to kill anyone of my own level, but I might get some practice surviving!

But this week I'm looking to be a little more specific for you, and we're going to talk about some skills or gameplay styles or whatever you'd prefer to call them. If you can incorporate them into your gameplay, chances are you'll improve in Arena. Obviously, in order to incorporate them, what are you going to need to do? Practice, of course!

So, what first? Let's talk movement. Movement in PvP is much more subjective and situational than in PvE. It's not just a case of getting out of bad; positioning and movement can win and lose battles. If you're being chopped up by a paladin with a big sword, you want to be moving away; if you're being zapped by casters, you want to do your best to be using line of sight to your advantage.

Continue reading 3 skills to improve your Arena performance

WoW Insider3 skills to improve your Arena performance originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>arenaarena-guidearena-stratsarena-tipsarenasbackpedalbackpedalingbackpedallingbackpeddlebackpeddlingfake-castfake-castingfeaturedguidehow-to-play-battlegroundshow-to-pvpjukejuke-interruptsjukingkeybindkeybindingkeybindingskeybindspvp-guidestrafingwow-arenawow-arena-guidewow-guideOlivia GraceWed, 15 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST