Elephants never forget...

...their first time. Omg, just watch...

The Cure for BG's (and Sunburn)

Well, the break from WoW is over - and actually quite refreshing. I read a book, started writing again, renewed my interest in playing the piano and the guitar, and went to a concert! I also did a lot of thinking while on the subject of Battle Grounds.

Why are we still playing the same ones? I'm not still running Stratholme because I'm stoked about the possibility of getting my Dreadmist legs, or finally finishing that 45 minute Baron run. I'm not still running MC to get my Felheart leggings (although I could stil be, since those seemed to have a lower drop rate than true love...), yet I'm still running WSG, AV, and AB. EOTS doesn't even have a faction to grind rep with, or get mediocre items from.

WoW is all about the rep grind, the honor grind, the grind to impress complete strangers with your new uber [Old Crafty], or the grind to make yourself less, and infinately less appealing to your spouse, friends, and loved ones.

Don't even say arenas are the "new BG's" because they're not. You want to see class balance at its penultimate worst just go to the armory and look up druid / warrior or rogue teams. I know for me anyways, BG's have always been a fun, mindless way to blow off some steam, listen to your favorite, most aggressive band, and pretend your bosses face is on every opposing player.

My point is this - I just want new BGs. Just like PvErs want new instances. Blizzard has given the excuse that if they put in more BGs, player populations would be imbalanced and old BGs wouldn't be played anymore. Granted BGs are instanced across your battlegroup, if the same thing were done with PvE it would be a joke. Heck if the LFG function searched across the entire battlegroup and instances took place cross-server like BGs, that'd be a great new implementationi too. (If it's possible)

Lake Wintergrasp seems an interesting approach to PvP, but my hopes aren't up too high just with world PvP having yet to show it's charm. I guess we'll just have to wait until November 13 and see not only if Lake Wintergrasp is teh suck, or if it's a rewarding new way to enjoy non-arena PvP.

On a side note, the break didn't provide the sunburn I expected, however I did glean some helpful sunburn tips that are sure to make looking like a lobster feel less torturous.

Sunburn Tips:

• Don't Scratch
• Lots of Aloe
• Asprin can help with the pain, and swelling
• Drink lots of water
• Don't go crazy with soap - it dries out your skin

Now I see the sun...

...yes now I see it! And it's so freakin' bright! This Metallica lyric is not only apt because their new album Death Magnetic is on the verge of being released to the public, but also because I am trying out a new MMO before a big wave of entertainment-media goodness hits in September (The Office Season 4 on DVD, The Office Season 5, Metallica's new album Death Magnetic, Lost Season 4 on DVD, Spore, and many, many more) - it's called World of Earth.

Platinum V.I.P. New Features:

• Interact with your friends in a fully realized 3D world


• Go bowling


• Read a book


• Get a sunburn


• Celebrate real-time holidays, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and more!


• Participate in world events as they happen, like disaster relief, sponsor a child, "Vote or Die," the Iraqi invasion and more!

Amazingly Loyal New Pets:

• Dog

Productive New Tradeskills:

• Live-action Fishing


• Horse Husbandry


• Pizza Delivery


• Cashier


• Organized Crime


• Full-time Hustlin'


• Mall Rat


• Alchemy

Incredible New Boss Encounters:

• Wife


• Girlfriend


• Your Boss

Legendary New 40 Man Raids:

• Your Mom's House

COMING SEPTEMBER 2008!!

(Next time: "Why BG's need a big revamping - and tips for PvPing with a sunburn.")

Raiding "New-to-You" Brings Back the Fun!

Blizzard has a long standing tradition in WoW of truly making the players feel as though they have achieved something when end-game encounters are finally defeated. So much so, in fact, that many players never get the chance to see bosses like Ragnaros, Nefarion, C'thun, Illidan... and so on.

To make a long story longer - a couple of weekends ago I finally got to see Kel'thuzad, and his friend Sapphiron thanks to a weekly Naxxramas run that takes place on Nathrezim!


If you haven't tried this I HIGHLY recommend it! Not only is it a great chance to get your alts some sweet leveling gear (if the raid is big enough), it is also a sweet opportunity to see some new-to-you content. Many shall mock, but I eagerly anticipate taking my Death Knight to kill Kil Jaedin. Lewts to after the jump...


Lots of fun - and afterwords we raided AQ40 and ripped C'thun a new eyehole! My warrior Bessi (see dancing cow movie in the Video Cave section) was 2 points away from winning the roll for [Dark Edge of Insanity]. PLUS a [Vanquished Tentacle of C'thun] dropped. Again, no cigar on that one. I DID win a [Silithid Claw]. however, so it was totally worth it.

Wrath of the Lich King Cinematic

Today Blizzard released the opening cinematic for the Wrath of the Lich king. The dynamic between Arthas and his father makes this particularly compelling. Sorry, no gnomes in this one...