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A new WoW Classic PvP realm opened today, per a community post by Blizzard. Community Manager Kaivax detailed the decision behind the addition, Due to very high demand, we opened a new WoW Classic realm for name reservations at 5:00 p.m PDT (8:00 p.m. EDT) on Wednesday, August 14: Stalagg – PvP – Eastern Time We suggest that players, especially those on the Herod realm, consider creating characters on Stalagg. We expect that other PvP realms in this region will otherwise experience significant login queues when Classic launches. Responses to the post have been fairly positive. Check out the full post here. Poorna Shankar / A highly opinionated avid PC gamer, Poorna blindly panics with his friends in various multiplayer games, much to the detriment of his team. Constantly questioning industry practices and a passion for technological progress drive his love for the video game industry. He pulls no punches and tells it like he sees it. He runs a podcast, Gaming The … [Read more...] about New WoW Classic PVP Realm Opened Today

It looks like Blizzard has heard your requests. WoW Classic will receive an RP-PvP server, but only in North America. The full post from Community Manager, Kaivax, reads, “We’ve heard your requests and want to let you know that we will be adding an RP-PVP realm in North America for WoW Classic. The comments, feedback, and passion from so many of you about this ruleset has been truly inspiring, and we’re happy to make RP-PVP available for you! Realm information (names, rulesets, and time zones) will be posted before the weekend so you can make plans with your friends and get ready to reserve your name on your preferred realm(s) on [August 12, 6pm ET].”] You can check out the full post and community response here. Poorna Shankar / A highly opinionated avid PC gamer, Poorna blindly panics with his friends in various multiplayer games, much to the detriment of his team. Constantly questioning industry practices and a passion for technological progress drive his … [Read more...] about Wow Classic Will Receive RP-PvP Server

With the first World of Warcraft Classic stress test in the bag, developers have already announced the second, seemingly unplanned, event for Wednesday, May 29th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Pacific / 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Eastern. Anyone who participated in the May 22nd event is invited back for the one on the 29th.  During the first event, players experienced a number of issues that, according to Blizzard, provided the dev team with "valuable data" moving forward. As a result of persistent issues, devs "were not able to test other aspects that we'd planned for". These unnamed aspects will be front and center during next week's test. Read more on the World of Warcraft Classic forum. … [Read more...] about Next World of Warcraft Classic Stress Test Set for May 29th

With the release of a ton of information about World of Warcraft Patch 8.2 recently and it being on the PTR now we can finally look at how the new Azerite system will work. For anyone who has missed the previous memo after 8.2, we won’t be using our heart levels to unlock traits on our Azerite gear. Instead, there will be traits on our neck which will augment our existing abilities. I will, however, say for the purposes of today’s column I am not going to get into any of the story elements of unlocking the new traits. If you want to know what happens storywise, it’s been posted in plenty of places, and you could also play through it all on the PTR if would like to. I’m more interested in how the system works so far and how it may help or hurt the issues we are currently facing.  advertisement  Currently, in the PTR you immediately get a quest to talk to Magni, and this starts the questchain to unlock the new forge for your Heart of Azeroth. However, … [Read more...] about World of Warcraft: A Look at the Heart of Azeroth 8.2 System

The World of Warcraft team has been slowly working to update PvP battleground and arena maps over the course of the past couple of expansions. When v8.1.5 launches, two more will see some pretty sweet enhancements to graphics on both, though strategic gameplay elements will remain unchanged. YouTuber 'LeystTV" has produced these two videos showcasing the graphical updates both battlegrounds will receive. Arathi Basin Arathi Basin is located in the Eastern Kingdoms and is one of the most hotly contested areas in WoW lorewise. It is one of the older WoW PvP battleground maps, first added in 2005 with the v1.7.0 update. It features "domination" type gameplay with 15 players on each side working to secure several key locations including the Gold Mine, Farm, Blacksmith, Stables and Lumber Mill. The longer each point is held, the more points leading to a victory are accrued. The goal of the remaster is to provide updated terrain and structural assets more in line with the Stromgarde and … [Read more...] about Check Out the Visual Updates to World of Warcraft’s Arathi Basin & Warsong Gulch Battlegrounds

The Ultima Online newsletter reveals great news for fans of the game. After over two decades, the team is committed to bringing players tons of new High Seas action throughout 2019. The commitment to adding High Seas content comes after years of community requests at meet and greets, various player gatherings, forum feedback and more. So what does that mean for publishes this year?  Is every publish going to be about sailing the oceans, fishing, and pirate hunting?  Not exactly - but close!  Our goal is to continue to support the events and systems you have come to love while revamping the areas of the High Seas that need it most.  In each publish we will be tackling a major High Seas content area and combining it with often requested new features, content, quality of life updates, client updates, tools, and bug fixes. Publish 104 will be called Rising Tide and will include: new veteran rewards an update to the classic client to better … [Read more...] about Lots of New High Seas Action Coming to Ultima Online

If there is one thing World of Warcraft developers love to do, it is to place well-hidden secrets in the game. There is even a dedicated group on Discord that charges itself with deciphering the clues and getting them organized properly to reveal cool new things. In the past, this has included pets and mounts. The latest secret uncovered is in Waycrest Manor, a dungeon found on Kul Tiras in Battle for Azeroth. According to WoWHead, the dungeon contains a number of "drust-laden organs" sprinkled throughout the dungeon. Finding them all and defeating the witches that guard them yields a brilliant concert when players return to the beginning of the dungeon once it is cleared. If they wait long enough, they'll hear melodies from several other Blizzard games including: Terran Theme - Starcraft Overtune - Overwatch New Tristram Theme - Diablo III A Call to Arms - WoW Orc Battle Theme - Warcraft III The Battle Begins - Heroes of the Storm It remains unknown whether or not this occurs … [Read more...] about World of Warcraft Group Uncovers A Cool Secret in Waycrest Manor

Things are moving fast these days with the World of Warcraft team. It has been confirmed that Brian Holinka has returned to the WoW team as the new Lead Combat Designer. Eagle eyed users saw a post on Holinka's LinkedIn page and he later confirmed via Twitter that he has indeed returned to WoW. You may recall that Holinka was the Lead PvP Developer from 2012 to 2017. For the past year, he has been at work "on an unannounced project". Rather than being solely focused on PvP, Holinka will oversee all combat-related issues and advancement. It couldn't come at a better time as many players have been roundly castigating the lack of excitement in most classes and that far too many abilities have been pruned. We'll be keeping close watch on the combat changes over the coming weeks. Via WoWhead … [Read more...] about Brian Holinka Returns to World of Warcraft Lead Combat Designer

The template for all online games grew out of the 1990s. Many people recall Everquest as the game which changed everything and it did, trust me. However, before you had EQ, you had UO. Ultima Online created the core ideas and concepts that have driven the MMO genre for 21 straight years. Ultima gave us an early look at what PvP on a large scale might be like, it allowed players to explore a world together for the first time. Ultima Online was a revolution, and it changed everything.Logging into the screen for the first time and creating a character was not easy back then. There were no preset templates. You had to hook in by phone modem which was, well, a risky attempt at best. Once you got started there was always the fear of crashing. As you entered the world you met NPCs and players. Sometimes unsure which was which. You found your niche whether it was crafting or combat. You learned spells and maybe even were lucky enough to ride a horse.PvP was something that had barely been … [Read more...] about What Ultima Online Gave us 21 Years Ago

If you were around in the early days of MMOs, you probably played Ultima Online. How well we remember the "scary music" when a PK would range near as we were innocently chopping wood to try to craft some type of weapon. Ah, the good old days! The Broadsword team took time out to thank players for their participation and "to those who have left their mark on [the] humble virtual world!" 21 years ago Ultima Online changed the video game landscape forever.  Sosaria spawned a virtual world where people could adventure together and forge friendships that would last a lifetime.  Today we celebrate that legacy by wishing UO a very happy birthday and thanking all those Britannians who have left their mark on our humble virtual world. Long live UO! What are your favorite memories of Ultima Online! Let us know! Thanks as always for the tip, BlueTurtle13! … [Read more...] about Ultima Online Celebrates Its 21st Birthday & Can Now Legally Buy a Beer!

The latest World of Warcraft expansion has been out since August 14th and while it has garnered decent praise for its story and excellent level design, Battle for Azeroth has simultaneously been plagued by more than a few major technical issues, not to mention a -legion- of smaller woes. After the stellar launch of Legion and other past expansions, players are left wondering if Battle for Azeroth was taken out of the oven just a bit too early.  advertisement  Now let's be clear here: The purpose of the article is not to review Battle for Azeroth or to take on its story, level design or features. What is at issue are the number of technical problems that the expansion faces. The simple premise is that Battle for Azeroth is not up to the standards we've come to expect from a Blizzard product.Before launching into some of the bigger issues that players are faced with in BfA, it is worth noting that far too many of the things players have discovered have been present … [Read more...] about World of Warcraft: Beta for Azeroth

From today through Friday, various World of Warcraft art teams will be showcasing their work, each day focused on a different team. The new day's contents will be shown at 10:00 am Pacific / 1:00 pm Eastern each day.  The schedule is as follows: We’re very proud to have just released our latest expansion, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. The conflict between the Horde and Alliance has been brewing for a long time now, and with the release of this content we see the story of our beloved factions hit an all-time high. As always, the World of Warcraft art team wanted to ensure that the visuals we created for this expansion matched the epic storytelling that went into crafting this experience. And while we hope you can see that attention crammed into every corner of the two new continents we’ve created, we don’t often get to show off this work at its original resolution. This game is the product of a whole team of insanely talented craftspeople and we’re … [Read more...] about World of Warcraft Art Teams to Showcase Their Work All Week at ArtStation

Full disclosure: Battle for Azeroth code provided by Blizzard.Man, I’ve done a lot in the past week in World of Warcraft. But before I dive in, a quick friendly reminder. I occasionally stream my adventures. So follow me on Twitter (@ShankTheTank) for updates when I go live on my Twitch, Mixer, YouTube, and Periscope. For a playlist of my adventures so far, check out this playlist.  advertisement  Alright with that out of the way, I can honestly say that the more I play this game, the more I begin to appreciate why World of Warcraft has been a mainstay for 14 years. Every time I play it now, I’m just furiously kicking myself for not playing this earlier. I can only imagine how epic it must be to have been a Day 1 player and journeyed with the game for these last 14 years. To see the story unfold and mechanics evolve must be fascinating.I’ve done quite a lot in the past week. Starting off my adventures, I initially went north to Stormsong Valley. But not … [Read more...] about A Newb’s Adventures In World of Warcraft

A pair of interesting interviews about World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth have cropped up, one with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas and John Hight about the drama and issues around the expansion pre-event. The other is with former Blizzard developer Chris Metzen on the issue of nerd toxicity. On the issue of the controversy surrounding the Burning of Teldrassil and the community reaction: I noticed is how many people felt like the Burning of Teldrassil was supposed to be this big mystery. People expected a twist and felt like Blizzard set it up that way. Going back and watching some older developer Q&As, though, I couldn't find much evidence of that. What happened there, from your perspective? Hazzikostaks: On the internet, as this giant game of telephone to some extent, things can definitely take on a life of their own. At Blizzcon 2017, I remember Alex Afrasiabi teed up the question of who struck first: The Burning of [Teldrassil] or the assault on Lordaeron? But that was … [Read more...] about WoW’s Game Director On BfA’s Pre-Event; Metzen on Toxic Nerd Culture

In an interview at ScienceAlert.com, Creative Director Alex Afrasiabi answered several interesting questions about storytelling in World of Warcraft. The interview was conducted prior to the start of the Battle for Azeroth pre-expansion event, War of Thorns, that has, to put it mildly, kicked up a lot of emotions with players. In one forward looking statement, Afrasiabi clearly indicates that the team knew that emotions would be running high, but urges patience with the unfolding of the story. As the story of Battle For Azeroth begins, what would you like to say to players about what they should expect in the story that's starting to unfold? Afrasiabi: What I would say is… Be patient. This is a living, breathing world and a living, breathing story that is continuing to progress. A game, especially WoW, it isn't like a book where you can just devour it and get the satisfaction of learning and understanding the whole of it, right? Unfortunately for us, we have chapters broken … [Read more...] about Alex Afrasiabi on Story

The World of Warcraft community site has been updated with a look ahead at content releases coming to the Battle for Azeroth expansion. The expansion will launch worldwide on August 14th and players can start making plans for the Uldir raid, BfA PvP Season 1 and Mythic Keystone Dungeon Season 1. Here's what we know so far: Battle for Azeroth launch - August 14th  Uldir Raid opens - September 4 (N / H), September 11 (M, LFR 1), September 25 (LFR 2), October 9 (LFR 3) PvP Season 1 - September 4 Mythic Keystone Dungeon Season 1 - September 4 -  Mythic Keystone Dungeon seasons are something new coming with Battle for Azeroth: We’re adding a new layer to Mythic Keystone Dungeons with the introduction of Mythic Dungeon seasons that align with the latest content and rewards. As a part of Season 1, we will be introducing using a new seasonal affix—Infested—which will appear on level 10 or higher Keystones. The Infested affix reflects the extent of the … [Read more...] about Battle for Azeroth Content Release Schedule

If you thought the World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor marketing campaign that featured a gigantic axe seemingly plunged into the roadways in Time Square was unique and different, think again. Last night, Blizzard hosted a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide wrestling match to promote Battle for Azeroth that featured Psycho Clown and Electro Shock, each appropriately decked out in factional colors. The official advertising from Media Tiempo reads: This event will have a very special flavor, since it will be a direct confrontation between AAA and Lucha Libre Elite , who will be representing the two factions of the videogame. Under the red banner, AAA superstars like Psycho Clown, Son of the Phantom, Faby Apache and Dr. Wagner Jr. will defend the honor of the AAA and the Horde ; while, under the blue banner, LA Park, Electro Shock and Zeuxis, Golden Magic, the Traumas and several more will fight for the glory of Lucha Libre Elite and the Alliance. If you love wrestling, Lucha Libre or World … [Read more...] about Remember that Big Axe in Times Square for Warlords? That Was Nothin! Check This Out

Why bother looking for a game that brings back fond memories of more "hardcore" MMO days when you know that Ultima Online, the game that many feel is the standard for what today's MMOs should be, is going free to play? Broadsword has announced that Publish 99 will bring the F2P "Endless Journey" to Ultima Online, though there are some restrictions in place. Rest assured that there is still a subscription option available with no restrictions. Preliminary Endless Journey restrictions have been added to TC1.  Use the gates at the Britain Commons to toggle EJ restrictions on and off.  Restrictions must be reactivated each time a character logs in.  All restrictions are in active development and subject to change. You can check out the comparison chart for subscription and Endless Journey options by visiting the Ultima Online site. Thanks for the tip, Etlar! … [Read more...] about UO Going F2P So Why Look for Old School When You Can Return to the Original?