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.WoW Archivist: How each WoW expansion set the tone, part 2http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/14/wow-archivist-how-each-wow-expansion-set-the-tone-part-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/14/wow-archivist-how-each-wow-expansion-set-the-tone-part-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/14/wow-archivist-how-each-wow-expansion-set-the-tone-part-2/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold.

Previously on WoW Archivist, I discussed how the tone of Warcraft and its associated world changed drastically as time went on and the first expansion pack, The Burning Crusade, was released. Each time World of Warcraft changes its setting, the tone of the game (from the way the environments make the player feel to the actual mechanical development of the product) changes significantly. The tonal change makes WoW a unique specimen in the MMO sphere, allowing it to grow, adapt, and target a vast array of audiences opposed to growing stagnant over time. Incorporating each new tone and focus with each new expansion lets World of Warcraft move forward despite its age.

For a long time, we jokingly referred to Wrath of the Lich King as "The Frozen Crusade" because Blizzard took the best parts of The Burning Crusade and began to build the next expansion. It was hard to understand the tone of the newest expansion before you actually played it. In the beginning all we saw was two new ores, 75 more profession skill points, and greens that were going to replace our purples again. For me, the tone looked like it was going to be "here we go again" -- that is, until I first stepped into Northrend.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: How each WoW expansion set the tone, part 2

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: How each WoW expansion set the tone, part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>archivistburning-crusadecataclysmtonevanilla-wowwow-archivistwrathWrath-of-the-Lich-KingMathew McCurleyMon, 14 Nov 2011 19:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: How each WoW expansion set the tone, part onehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/07/wow-archivist-how-each-wow-expansion-set-the-tone-part-one/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/07/wow-archivist-how-each-wow-expansion-set-the-tone-part-one/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/07/wow-archivist-how-each-wow-expansion-set-the-tone-part-one/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Before we learned about Mists of Pandaria and where we stalwart adventurers would be exploring in the coming months, I wrote a post discussing how an expansion about Pandaria, specifically its title, would change the tone of World of Warcraft. Mists of Pandaria would be the first expansion that does not directly reference or reveal the main villain of the expansion's storyline. Blizzard and the WoW development team has been incredible stewards of tone, from the early days of Warcraft to Cataclysm's world-breaking motif. Tone is one of the most important aspects of the MMO because your game world needs to be compelling enough to call back players at any point. Good MMOs set good tone.

Tone has evolved in WoW after each expansion pack, changing considerably each time we swap settings and install the latest content. Alex asked me to write an article that spanned the history of World of Warcraft, and I could think of nothing more dynamic than the tone of the story and how masterfully Blizzard has handled it.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: How each WoW expansion set the tone, part one

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: How each WoW expansion set the tone, part one originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ahn-qirajarchivistburning-crusadetonevanilla-wowwow-archivistMathew McCurleyMon, 07 Nov 2011 16:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Hoaxes, imaginary content, and the unrealizedhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/wow-archivist-hoaxes-imaginary-content-and-the-unrealized/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/wow-archivist-hoaxes-imaginary-content-and-the-unrealized/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/wow-archivist-hoaxes-imaginary-content-and-the-unrealized/#commentsFiled under: ,

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Remember Grom'ogh, the legendary axe once wielded by Grom Hellscream? No, of course you don't. Because it never existed. Some enterprising WoW player in The Burning Crusade beta made it up, doctored up some images of Gorehowl from Karazhan and made merry sport of those of us who weren't in the beta and had no idea what kind of awesome drops were out there. (You can tell Grom'ogh is the Gorehowl model and not the Warsong Howling Axe because it has the same spikes on the back of the head that Gorehowl does.)

Amusingly, for those of us who actually got to play The Burning Crusade eventually, there was a two-handed legendary axee, Devastation, which is only useable during the Kael'Thas fight in Tempest Keep. Devastation's stats aren't all that far off from Grom'ogh's proposed stats, except of course for Grom'ogh's ludicrous total fear immunity. Grom'ogh is hardly the only way people have gummed up the works with fake news, though. It's still going on, in fact: fake patch notes, fake expansions (Vengeance of the Void, anyway), made-up new races and classes ... Everyone likes to have a hand in fake game development, it seems. It's so common, people even write guides telling other people how to do it.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Hoaxes, imaginary content, and the unrealized

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Hoaxes, imaginary content, and the unrealized originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Matthew RossiTue, 25 Oct 2011 16:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 2.0.1, Before the Stormhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/18/wow-archivist-patch-2-0-1-before-the-storm/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/18/wow-archivist-patch-2-0-1-before-the-storm/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/18/wow-archivist-patch-2-0-1-before-the-storm/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Patch 2.0.1 was, according to a large chunk of players, quite possibly one of the best patches to come out of vanilla WoW. It had nothing to do with the introduction of the new talent trees in preparation for The Burning Crusade's looming launch. It had nothing to do with the new, bulky, and rarely used first iteration of the looking for group tool. There were no launch events with this patch, just a heck of a lot of data that needed to be implemented in preparation for the launch of the first expansion.

But what had players either cheering fervently or cursing forever had nothing to do with the imminent approach of The Burning Crusade. It had everything to do with PVP and the removal of the honor system as we knew it in vanilla. What's so special about that, you ask? Let's take a journey back in time and look at the good and bad of the old honor system. If you think today's Arena grinds are difficult, well ... you're in for one heck of an eye-opener.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 2.0.1, Before the Storm

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 2.0.1, Before the Storm originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>burning-crusadedishonorable-killgrand-marshalhigh-warlordhonor-grindhonor-rankhonor-systemhonorable-killlooking-for-grouppatch-2.0.1world-of-warcraft-historyWoW-historywow-patch-2.0.1Anne StickneyTue, 18 Oct 2011 19:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 1.12, Drums of Warhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/04/patch-1-12-drums-of-war/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/04/patch-1-12-drums-of-war/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/04/patch-1-12-drums-of-war/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

I'm not ashamed to admit when I've made a mistake. Which is good, because today's Archivist would be awkward otherwise. Last week's classic WoW recap was a smidge premature. I haven't covered patch 1.12 yet. Why? Because I thought patch 1.12 was patch 2.0. Patch 2.0 would go with the Burning Crusade-era patches. Patch 1.12 isn't patch 2.0, however, so we're mired in classic WoW for one more week.

Patch 1.12, Drums of War, released in August of 2006. It contained the feature that has set the standard for all group content in World of Warcraft: cross-realm Battlegrounds. In addition to cross-realm Battlegrounds, patch 1.12 also included sanctioned world PVP (which didn't work) and a number of UI improvements that you probably take for granted all these years later.

Let's dive in, shall we?

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 1.12, Drums of War

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 1.12, Drums of War originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>cross-realm-battlegroundsdrums-of-wardungeon-finderfloating-combat-texthillsbradlfmlooking-for-raidpatch-1.12raid-findersilithussilithystworld-of-warcraft-historywow-historywow-patch-1.12Alex ZiebartTue, 04 Oct 2011 20:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Recapping classic World of Warcrafthttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/wow-archivist-recapping-classic-world-of-warcraft/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/wow-archivist-recapping-classic-world-of-warcraft/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/wow-archivist-recapping-classic-world-of-warcraft/#commentsFiled under:

original world of warcraft logo
The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

The Archivist has come a long way. We've just about wrapped up the chronological history of classic World of Warcraft. Sure, there are still bits and bobs that have gone unexplored for now ("The Ashbringer ...") but we've covered every single major patch from the World of Warcraft from prerelease all the way up through the final raid tier of level 60 content. The next time we tackle a set of patch notes, we'll be firmly in The Burning Crusade territory. Exciting, isn't it?

Before we leap into that sweet, sweet Burning Crusade, let's recap what we've covered already, starting way back in July 2009.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Recapping classic World of Warcraft

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Recapping classic World of Warcraft originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredold-school-wowpatches-of-yesteryearworld-of-warcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-patcheswow-archaeologistwow-archivistwow-historyAlex ZiebartTue, 27 Sep 2011 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: The changing raid design of Naxxramas, page 2http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/wow-archivist-the-changing-raid-design-of-naxxramas-page-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/wow-archivist-the-changing-raid-design-of-naxxramas-page-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/wow-archivist-the-changing-raid-design-of-naxxramas-page-2/#commentsFiled under:

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The changing raid design of Naxxramas, page 2

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: The changing raid design of Naxxramas, page 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>anubanub-rekhanarchivistfour-horsemenheigan-danceheigan-the-uncleanhorsemeninstructor-razuviousloathebnaxxnaxx-10naxx-25naxx-40naxx-40-mannaxx-guidenaxxramasraid-designraid-guidevanilla-wow-raid-designwow-archivistMathew McCurleyTue, 20 Sep 2011 19:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: The changing raid design of Naxxramashttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/wow-archivist-the-changing-raid-design-of-naxxramas/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/wow-archivist-the-changing-raid-design-of-naxxramas/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/wow-archivist-the-changing-raid-design-of-naxxramas/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Raid design has changed more times than there have been actual expansions in World of Warcraft, mostly because original raiding concepts were forged in the endgames of EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, and the pre-WoW generation of MMOs. Patch 1.11.0 introduced Naxxramas, one of the most ambitious raid environments in the history of WoW. The massive necropolis floated ominously above the Eastern Plaguelands, tempting the best raiding guilds with 15 punishing boss encounters. Naxxramas was ultimately removed from the game with patch 3.0.2, when it was replaced with new 10- and 25-man versions of Naxxramas retuned and reitemized as the starter raid for Wrath of the Lich King. The retuning of Naxxramas is one of the best examples of the changing raid dynamics from the original vanilla WoW to the new Wrath dynamic.

Back in the original Naxxramas days, raids were tuned for 40 players. Half of the challenge of raiding in the old days was putting the raid together in the first place, and then actually getting boss strategies down. There was even an attunement to Naxxramas based on your Argent Dawn reputation, which scaled in price depending on how close to exalted you were. Suffice it to say, it was a very different world. Naxxramas' difficulty at the outset was the hardest dungeon WoW had ever seen, and in consequence, not many raid groups got to see the inside of Naxxramas, much less its final encounters.

Over time, the raiding dynamic greatly changed and 10- and 25-man encounters were the new norm. The huge success of Karazhan made 10-man raiding a staple in future WoW expansions. When Naxxramas was poised to make its return as the beginning raid in Wrath of the Lich King, people wondered how certain encounters (which were built for 40-man raid groups consisting of upwards of six tanks on some fights) would be rebuilt for 10- and 25-man raiding groups. Many people didn't think that the flavor and epicness of the instance would stay intact.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The changing raid design of Naxxramas

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: The changing raid design of Naxxramas originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Mathew McCurleyTue, 20 Sep 2011 19:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 1.11, Shadow of the Necropolishttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/wow-archivist-patch-1-11-shadow-of-the-necropolis/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/wow-archivist-patch-1-11-shadow-of-the-necropolis/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/wow-archivist-patch-1-11-shadow-of-the-necropolis/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

In last week's Archivist, we looked at patch 1.11's April Fool's Day patch notes, but this week we're digging into the real deal. Patch 1.11 included the original 40-man version of Naxxramas, which was the final raid zone of classic World of Warcraft. The game had seen no expansions yet. While we all knew it was coming, the idea was still foreign and nebulous to players who had limited prior experience with MMOs. "Green is the new purple" was something nobody grasped yet. Naxxramas was seen as the true pinnacle of raiding in classic WoW ... and in some ways, it's still seen that way by WoW's raiding veterans.

The trailer for Shadow of the Necropolis is probably the first patch trailer I remember in vivid detail, as it's one of the first patch trailers in which Blizzard tried to tell a story. Previous patch trailers showed off new bosses and new environments completely without commentary, merely showing off pretty pictures set to new music from the patch's soundtrack. Shadow of the Necropolis slowed things down a bit, showing you some of who Kel'Thuzad was in life and how he came to be lich lord of Naxxramas. Patch trailers have continued to build on what patch 1.11 started.

Let's take a look at what else this patch held, shall we? As usual, we'll first look at the patch notes and then we'll get into commentary.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 1.11, Shadow of the Necropolis

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 1.11, Shadow of the Necropolis originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>40-man-naxxnaxx-40naxxramaspatch-1.11shadow-of-the-necropolisworld-of-warcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-patch-1.11wow-historywow-legendswow-mythswow-patch-1.11Alex ZiebartTue, 13 Sep 2011 17:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 1.11 for foolshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/06/patch-1-11/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/06/patch-1-11/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/06/patch-1-11/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Today's Archivist topic would have been a grand one to save for the next April Fools' Day, but that's half a year away! Sticking strictly to chronological patch order, what the heck, let's just tackle it today. In the early months of 2006, World of Warcraft players were eagerly anticipating patch 1.11, Shadow of the Necropolis, which would implement the original 40-man version of the Naxxramas raid. On April 1, 2006, former Blizzard community manager Caydiem decided to go fishing for trolls: She posted what is known as Evil Patch Notes.

Some of the false patch notes released for patch 1.11 on April Fools' are timeless, immediately obvious jokes that just click, even five years later. Others are relics of their time, references to popular complaints and hatreds of 2005 and 2006. Players who have only just started playing World of Warcraft in the last year or two may not understand them at all. Others, years later, are closer to the truth than Caydiem may have ever expected.

Patch 1.11's Evil Patch Notes will now be presented in full, where they may speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 1.11 for fools

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 1.11 for fools originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>april-foolscaydiemnaxxramaspatch-1.11world-of-warcraft-historywow-april-foolswow-historywow-legendswow-mythswow-patch-1.11wowpediaAlex ZiebartTue, 06 Sep 2011 14:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Scepter of the Shifting Sandshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/30/wow-archivist-scepter-of-the-shifting-sands/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/30/wow-archivist-scepter-of-the-shifting-sands/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/30/wow-archivist-scepter-of-the-shifting-sands/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

It is sad to me that it seems the only players who have access to truly epic quest lines these days are the ones on the receiving ends of legendaries -- Shadowmourne and now Dragonwrath. If we turn back the clock to vanilla, we'd come across perhaps the most epic quest line of them all. Monstrous in its time commitment, material needs, and far more random and diverse than the chain for Thunderfury, it was the mother of all quests. Not only did it require the participation of an entire realm in order to be able to complete it, but it took the effort of at least one raid team of 40 (if not more) to coordinate and organize the energy needed to get a very small handful of people very rare and very special rewards that have yet to be duplicated by Blizzard.

This quest chain is the Scepter of the Shifting Sands.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Scepter of the Shifting Sands

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Scepter of the Shifting Sands originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ahn-qirajahnqirajaq20aq40blue-scepter-shardgreen-scepter-shardred-scepter-shardscepter-of-the-shifting-sandssilithusstilithidsworld-of-warcraft-historywow-historywow-legendswow-mythsNico DeyoTue, 30 Aug 2011 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 1.10, Storms of Azerothhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/wow-archivist-patch-1-10-storms-of-azeroth/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/wow-archivist-patch-1-10-storms-of-azeroth/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/wow-archivist-patch-1-10-storms-of-azeroth/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Personally, I find patch 1.10 to be one of the most memorable patches of classic WoW. It was a
patch dedicated almost exclusively to giving nonraiding players more content, access to better gear (without trivializing raids), and generally making the world a prettier place. Patch 1.10 was the patch that implemented weather, as its Storms of Azeroth title implies.

More than that, patch 1.10 taught non-programmers everywhere how version numbering works. "Patch one-point-ten? You can't do that! Shouldn't it be patch 2.0 after 1.9? Isn't 1.10 the same as 1.1?" Nope, sorry! Version numbering doesn't work that way! These aren't decimals, folks. The .10 does not represent a fraction of a whole; it's part of a versioning scheme set up like so:
expansion.major.minor.build
Patch 1.10 indicates that this is the first retail software release and it is in its 10th major revision. While I'm writing this, World of Warcraft version 4.2.2.14534 is on the PTR. Build 14534 of the second minor revision of the second major revision of the fourth expansion/retail release. These aren't decimals, and this isn't math. Patch 1.10 is neither patch 1.1 nor patch 2.0. Got it? Good!

Now on with the show.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 1.10, Storms of Azeroth

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 1.10, Storms of Azeroth originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>classic-wowdungeon-set-1dungeon-set-2dungeon-set-onedungeon-set-twoold-wow-patchespatch-1.10soulforgewarcraft-historyweatherworld-of-warcraft-patch-1.10wow-historywow-patch-1.10Alex ZiebartTue, 23 Aug 2011 20:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 1.9, The Gates of Ahn'Qirajhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/wow-archivist-patch-1-9-the-gates-of-ahnqiraj/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/wow-archivist-patch-1-9-the-gates-of-ahnqiraj/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/wow-archivist-patch-1-9-the-gates-of-ahnqiraj/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, patch 1.8 did not include a brand new raid tier. Players thought nothing of it at the time. It was perfectly normal. What patch 1.8 did was lay the groundwork for the following patch. It revamped Silithus, and that revamp was utilized in patch 1.9 with the opening of Ahn'Qiraj and the massive world event surrounding the parting of the gates.

In addition to the opening of the Ahn'Qiraj gates, patch 1.9 also includes:
  • Linked auction houses
  • Raid lockout revamp
  • Paladin class review
Follow along, won't you?

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 1.9, The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 1.9, The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ahn-qirajahnqirajgates-of-ahn-qirajgates-of-ahnqirajpatch-1.9world-of-warcraft-old-patchesworld-of-warcraft-patch-1.9wow-historywow-legendswow-mythswow-patch-1.9Alex ZiebartTue, 16 Aug 2011 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: The Emerald Dream, Outland, and other Z-axis secretshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/wow-archivist-the-emerald-dream-outland-and-other-z-axis-secr/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/wow-archivist-the-emerald-dream-outland-and-other-z-axis-secr/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/wow-archivist-the-emerald-dream-outland-and-other-z-axis-secr/#commentsFiled under: ,

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

This week's edition of the Archivist will be a little different than what you may be used to seeing. Rather than exploring a specific event in World of Warcraft's history, we're going to look at a bit of antiquated game design. Specifically, we will be looking at one of Blizzard's old development practices: trying to hide content development in progress on live realms.

Before I begin, I want to note that to my knowledge, none of the hidden locations outlined in this article are accessible anymore. If there are still ways of accessing them on live realms, I want to request that none of you discuss the methods of entering these places on our site. Blizzard hid these places for a reason, even if it didn't do it very well.

Follow along for a look at the Emerald Dream, an early Outland testing ground, and other Z-axis shortcuts and secrets.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The Emerald Dream, Outland, and other Z-axis secrets

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: The Emerald Dream, Outland, and other Z-axis secrets originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>crypts-of-karazhandeadmines-secretdeath-grip-bugemerald-dreamexodaroutland-prototypeoutland-testing-groundsshattrath-citysilvermoon-citywow-archivistwow-death-grip-bugwow-easter-eggswow-ghost-shipwow-legendswow-mythswow-secretswow-z-axisAlex ZiebartTue, 09 Aug 2011 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 1.8, Dragons of Nightmarehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/02/wow-archivist-patch-1-8-dragons-of-nightmare/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/02/wow-archivist-patch-1-8-dragons-of-nightmare/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/02/wow-archivist-patch-1-8-dragons-of-nightmare/#commentsFiled under: ,

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Who says every content patch needs a new raid tier? Patch 1.8, released Oct. 10, 2005 (just slightly under one month after patch 1.7), laughs at your raid tiers. It was actually quite a small patch as far as content goes, and there wasn't anything particularly world-shattering in it, but it still did something interesting: It built up future content. Patch 1.8 implemented the following:
  • The Dragons of Nightmare world bosses
  • A revamp of Silithus
  • The groundwork for holidays such as Hallow's End and Winter Veil
None of these things, on their own, were very large events. They were cool pieces of content, but they weren't supported by a raid or dungeon. Quite the opposite -- they laid the groundwork that would herald a raid coming in a later patch.

Let's dig in, shall we? First the patch notes in full, then the analysis.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 1.8, Dragons of Nightmare

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 1.8, Dragons of Nightmare originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>emerald-dreamemerald-nightmarefeaturedgreen-dragonspatch-1.8silithusworld-of-warcraft-explorationworld-of-warcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-patch-1.8wow-archivistwow-explorationwow-historywow-legendswow-mythswow-patch-1.8Alex ZiebartTue, 02 Aug 2011 09:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: The Corrupted Blood plaguehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/wow-archivist-the-corrupted-blood-plague/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/wow-archivist-the-corrupted-blood-plague/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/wow-archivist-the-corrupted-blood-plague/#commentsFiled under: ,

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

In late September of 2005, the world was struck with a terrible, virulent plague. In the early days of this plague, it was believed to be well under control. Casualties were few and far between, constrained to indoor quarantine zones, protecting the outside world from the violent malady. These quarantine zones did not last long. Common vermin and pets acted as carriers, delivering this plague out to the greater world.

Men, women and children were all infected. The young died instantly. The old were forced to weather a tortured, wasting existence prior to their death. Innocent bystanders acted as unknowing carriers, delivering the plague from one victim to the next. The death toll rose high enough that major city centers had been almost completely killed off, leaving only piles of corpses to rot in the streets.

We're not talking about the Black Death or a modern pandemic like SARS or H1N1. We're talking about Corrupted Blood, a disastrous plague that struck within the virtual world of Azeroth, hurtling World of Warcraft into the public eye and placing it under scientific scrutiny.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The Corrupted Blood plague

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: The Corrupted Blood plague originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blood-plaguecorrupted-bloodhakkarpatch-1.7warcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-patch-1.6world-of-warcraft-patch-1.7wow-historywow-legendswow-mythswow-patch-1.7wow-patch-1.7-trailerzombie-invasionzulgurubAlex ZiebartTue, 26 Jul 2011 14:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: Patch 1.7, Rise of the Blood Godhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/19/wow-archivist-patch-1-7-rise-of-the-blood-god/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/19/wow-archivist-patch-1-7-rise-of-the-blood-god/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/19/wow-archivist-patch-1-7-rise-of-the-blood-god/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

As we go through the patches of classic World of Warcraft, you've seen all along that Cataclysm is essentially a sequel to the original game. Everything in Cataclysm ties into things that began all those years ago. The Twilight's Hammer, Ragnaros and the other elemental lords, Nefarian and Onyxia ... all of those things hearken back to the Azeroth of 2004 and 2005. It isn't just the main plot of this expansion that ties back into the original game either -- oh, no. The little side stories we experience and investigate tie back into the original game, too.

Today, we're looking at patch 1.7 from September 2005. It is the patch that introduced us to Zul'Gurub and the Blood God Hakkar, both of which made their return just months ago.

In addition, patch 1.7 includes:
  • Arathi Basin
  • Stranglethorn Vale's fishing event
  • Implementation of the dressing room
  • Debuff limit raised from eight to 16
Let's explore, hm?

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 1.7, Rise of the Blood God

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: Patch 1.7, Rise of the Blood God originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>arathi-basinblackwing-lairbus-shockbwlhakkarnefarianpatch-1.7warcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-patch-1.6world-of-warcraft-patch-1.7wow-historywow-legendswow-mythswow-patch-1.7wow-patch-1.7-trailerzulgurubAlex ZiebartTue, 19 Jul 2011 15:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: World of Warcraft patch 1.6http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/12/wow-archivist-world-of-warcraft-patch-1-6/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/12/wow-archivist-world-of-warcraft-patch-1-6/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/12/wow-archivist-world-of-warcraft-patch-1-6/#commentsFiled under:

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Patch 1.6 has probably one of the worst patch trailers in the entirety of World of Warcraft's history. It's not just that there are no fancy custom animations in the trailer; such things came way later -- machinima was in its infancy, so Blizzard itself saw no reason utilize those techniques or perhaps didn't have the resources. No, it's not just that. It's that there is a token effort somewhere in the video to build drama and epic suspense, but it is all shattered by the image of a member of the QA team leaping about like a spaz in the background while a Judgement-donning paladin tries to set a serious tone. It just isn't happening. How good or bad the trailer was didn't matter back in 2005, though. Back then, it was the most exciting thing in the world.

Interestingly, the trailer is surprisingly difficult to find at all in places like YouTube or other video hosts nowadays, seemingly moreso than other patch trailers from around the same time period. Patch 1.5 and patch 1.7 have sources aplenty floating around, but patch 1.6? It just seems lost and forgotten.

In addition to Blackwing Lair, patch 1.6 also delivered:
  • The Darkmoon Faire
  • Battlemasters to ease battleground queues
  • The implementation (and complete disuse) of a Silvermoon Remnant faction, high elves loyal to the Alliance, aggressive to the Horde -- and never used for anything of note.
Join me on a magical journey through the Warcraft library!

Continue reading WoW Archivist: World of Warcraft patch 1.6

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: World of Warcraft patch 1.6 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blackwing-lairbwlnefarianpatch-1.6patch-1.6-trailerwarcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-patch-1.6wow-historywow-legendswow-mythswow-patch-1.6wow-patch-1.6-trailerAlex ZiebartTue, 12 Jul 2011 20:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: World of Warcraft patch 1.5http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/05/wow-archivist-world-of-warcraft-patch-1-5/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/05/wow-archivist-world-of-warcraft-patch-1-5/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/07/05/wow-archivist-world-of-warcraft-patch-1-5/#commentsFiled under: ,

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

It's back to patch notes in this week's Archivist, where we'll be looking at the lovely little details of patch 1.5, released back in June of 2005 just one month after patch 1.4. Patch 1.4 implemented the bare bones of World of Warcraft's first honor system, but it was patch 1.5 that brought us the part players cared about: battlegrounds -- specifically, Warsong Gulch and Alterac Valley. The patch also included ...
  • Another early attempt at building the Dungeon Finder
  • A dishonor system
  • More effort to build upon Molten Core
Follow along, won't you?

Continue reading WoW Archivist: World of Warcraft patch 1.5

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: World of Warcraft patch 1.5 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>battlegroundsworld-of-warcraft-battlegroundsworld-of-warcraft-historyworld-of-warcraft-mythsworld-of-warcraft-patch-1.5wow-battlegroundswow-historywow-legendswow-mythswow-patch-1.5wow-pvpAlex ZiebartTue, 05 Jul 2011 13:00:00 ESTWoW Archivist: The legacy of Leeroy Jenkinshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2011/06/28/wow-archivist-the-legacy-of-leeroy-jenkins/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/06/28/wow-archivist-the-legacy-of-leeroy-jenkins/http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/06/28/wow-archivist-the-legacy-of-leeroy-jenkins/#commentsFiled under: ,

The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold?

Leeroy Jenkins is easily the most recognizable name in all World of Warcraft. It isn't Thrall, it isn't Arthas, it isn't Chris Metzen or Ghostcrawler. It's Leeroy Jenkins. Leeroy has transcended the realm of geekdom in a way that no other aspect of World of Warcraft can.

While World of Warcraft may have made appearances in shows such as Stargate Atlantis, Leeroy has found a place on How I Met Your Mother, My Name is Earl, Scrubs, and beyond -- he has become a genre and a trope unto himself. Leeroy Jenkins has been mentioned and plugged so many times in pop culture that the days of his being a World of Warcraft reference are in decline and we're coming to a point that most of the world has no idea of the origin of the joke. It's just a funny thing that exists, disembodied from its nerdy, video game roots.

So who is this Leeroy Jenkins fellow, and why is he so gosh-darn funny?

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The legacy of Leeroy Jenkins

WoW InsiderWoW Archivist: The legacy of Leeroy Jenkins originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>at-least-i-have-chickenjenkins-titleleeroy-jenkinsleeroy-jenkins-cardleeroy-jenkins-original-videoleeroy-jenkins-videoleroy-jenkinsleroy-jenkins-original-videoleroy-jenkins-videomike-krahulikpals-for-lifeworld-of-warcraftwow-legendswow-mythsAlex ZiebartTue, 28 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST