World of Warcraft

Hey all,

Now that I'm level 80 and happily raiding again (with several server first achievements, I might add) I'm realizing that there are a few encounters in the game that some people find tricky.

With that in mind, and since I'm well geared from current raids, I've decided to FRAPS some of the more tricky--and more fun--instances and raids. These will be narrated with specific mention of healing, tanking, and DPS tactics.

Stay tuned--the first instance to be FRAPSed will be "Heroic - Caverns of Time: The Culling of Stratholme." One of Arthas' darkest hours, players entering the Culling of Stratholme have the option to race against a 25 minute timer to face an exclusive, time dependent boss: The Infinite Corruptor. Slaying this boss within the 25 minute timer can be tricky, but players who do it are rewarded with an extra Emblem of Heroism, as well as the Reins of the Bronze Drake--a very attractive mount exclusive to this encounter.

After it's recorded, all I'll need to do is find a place that will let me host 30 minute videos for free. If anyone knows of such a place, let me know in this thread.

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Well we are waiting to give away prizing for World of Warcraft fans but I haven't had anyone post here. The moderators are great but we need to have those who come and read -post some responses - that's how you get more out of GRGN!

We are giving away a WOW MOUSE, WOW keyboard and mouse pads ... Gaming systems NEC displays... but we need someone to give it to first!

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As most of you know, here are the primary new elements that are included in World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King:

1. Introduction of the first hero class, The Death Knight
2. Characters may be leveled up to Level 80
3. New Spell and Talents for each class from levels 70-80
4. The Icy Realm of Northrend
5. Inscriptiom Profession that enables spell augmentation
6. Siege warefare and siege ebgnes that may be used in warefare to destroy buildings, / environments
7. New character customization with new hairstyles and dances
8. New dungeons and instances

If you dungeon addics have anything else to add to the list let us know..

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The World of Warcraft User Interface discussion was an interesting one at BLizzCon 2008 on Friday. Several changes that accompany the launch of Wrath of the Lich King were highlighted.

The User Interface lead for World of Warcraft, Tom Thompson, and designer Derek Sakamoto, began the panel discussions by outlining some of their approached to UI design. Of the greatest importance was the need to have game play flow through the UI with ease. Enabling gamers to enjoy a the plethora of elements within the UI in a quick and simple manner. They went on to mention that some things required a few minutes to comprehend but in the end they were very pleased with the capacity for gamers to master the UI.

Several mock up designs for the UI were on display and the y guys explained the painstaking effort that went into the process for such a vast number of functions in a User Interface. The challenge their team faces show great skill on their part - definite gurus of ergonomics, aesthetics and game play...

Death Knight - Hero Class UI
As their presentation progressed, they jumped into the foray of the Death Knight class. Complete with health meter, rune timers in the character portrait area.

Some changes to the key rings, and there is an additional 'show row' button to open rows for the main menu bar at the bottom. The lag meter was moved and the bag icons are a little smaller. Pets and mounts will be stores in the character menu via a new tab and tokens will show along side currencies, freeing up the valuable bag space that gamers have been clamoring for, and the cheers in the audience were soon echoed in the forums.

The duo eluded to a 'dual spec' system that would save time for gamers who would often go and 're-spec" between in game activities (i.e. going for a PVP battleground to a PVE dungeon or instance)

All in all the improvements show again that Blizzard is focused on it gamers and will spare no effort to keep them interested.. and of course PlAYING.

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Here's what you get inteh Blizzcon 2008 Swag Bag:

• Orc Halloween mask with ad for official costumes on the backJinx Brochure with ad for plush talking Murloc\Blizzard Store catalog
• Flyer for DirecTV
• Arthas: Rise of the Lich King novel postcard
• Bradygames quest bookmark
• Upper Deck flyer for WoW Minis game
• Logitech G-series brochure
• Orc Halloween mask with ad for official costumes on the back
• Jinx Brochure with ad for plush talking Murloc
• Blizzard Store catalog
• Flyer for DirecTV
• Arthas: Rise of the Lich King novel postcard
• Bradygames quest bookmark
• Two sided comic book: WoW Ashbringer and Starcraft
• Blizzard is Hiring postcard
• Linksys by Cisco contest entry form
• zipzoomfly.com and newegg.com sales postcards
• Jinx Lich King vinyl sticker
• Starcraft II wristbands
• BlizzCon keychain
• Inflatable Frostmourne sword
• BlizzCon Toykopop sketchbook
• FigurePrints Horde (or Alliance) faction pendants
• Diablo III "Sinamints"
• Wrath of the Lich King pen
• DC Unlimited lapel pin
• Diablo III Squeezeball
• Pandaren Brewmaster brand beer bottle opener
• WoW TCG Heroes of Azeroth starter deck
• Warcraft.Swagdog.com mousepad
• Pandaren Brewmaster brand beer coozie
• Special BlizzCon edition Authenticator
• Starcraft: The Board Game Typhon promotional pieces
• BlizzCon 2008 hand sanitizer
• Zerg creep toy goop
• Frostmourne handle keychain
• Blizzard tissues
• Diablo III "Sinamints"
• Wrath of the Lich King pen
• DC Unlimited lapel pin
• Diablo III Squeezeball
• Pandaren Brewmaster brand beer bottle opener

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SteelSeries has launched a World of Warcraft gaming mouse today as part of the Coverage for Blizzcon 2008:


Here are the details :

1. Macros up to 160 characters
2. A total of 15 programmable buttons
3. Over 130 predefined commands for drag-and-drop macro creation
   16 million illumination choices with 3 intensity and pulsation levels
4. World’s first gaming mouse designed exclusively for World of Warcraft®
5. Price: $89.95 USD

The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse was designed specifically for World of Warcraft® by Blizzard® and SteelSeries. The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse provides remarkable benefits to all MMO gamers, regardless of level or play style. The mouse features incredible customization options to accommodate personal preferences. Seamless integration between software and hardware will provide an amazing in-game experience that provides superior performance, comfort and control. The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse is fully scalable to meet and exceed the requirements of even the most discerning World of Warcraft® gamer.

Before I go into the detail on the features and specifications of the World of Warcraft Mouse, here are some official World of Warcraft Mouse photos

Co-designed specifically for World of Warcraft® by Blizzard Entertainment and SteelSeries, the World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse is fully scalable and provdies:

- Great customization with 15 programmable buttons, advanced macro creation, and 10 profiles each with unique illumination scheme
- Superior performance, comfort and control for in-game dominance

The software allows for:

- The programability of all 15 buttons with over 130 preset game commands
- Creation of custom macros (supports in-game macros)
- Develop up to 10 profiles, each with a unique illumination scheme
- From up to 16 million colors, all with 4 levels of intensity and pulsation

Software Specifications

- World of Warcraft® branded GUI
- Assign World of Warcraft® commands
- Develop custom macros (up to 160 characters)
- Adjust DPI and standard mouse settings
- Adjust illumination color, effects, and intensity
- Independently adjust x and y-axis sensitivity
- Real-time profile switching
- Import and export profiles

Technical Specifications

- Max. resolution: 3200 DPI
- Max. acceleration: 20 g
- Max. speed: 65 inches/second
- Max. USB report rate: 1000 hz / 1ms
- USB data format: 16-bit
- USB interface: Full speed
- Sleep mode: Disabled (Always On)

System Requirements

- Windows Vista™, Windows® XP, or Windows® 2000
- 100 MB Free Hard Drive Space
- 128 MB RAM
- USB port

Here is the Official press release:

SteelSeries Introduces The First Ever World of Warcraft® MMO Gaming Mouse




CHICAGO - Nov. 12, 2008 - At BlizzCon® 2008, SteelSeries unveiled the first-ever World of Warcraft® Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) Gaming Mouse, co-designed with Blizzard Entertainment®. With advanced macro creation capabilities, 15 programmable buttons, six possible DPI settings and 16 million profile-specific illumination colors, the MMO Gaming Mouse goes beyond traditional mouse design to create a new type of in-game controller.

“Our concepts and designs cater to the global community of MMO players and for the first time, World of Warcraft players have a new type of gaming accessory that was created specifically for them," said Bruce Hawver, CEO of SteelSeries. “Through our recent acquisition of Ideazon and the wealth of creativity that the team brought to the table, it was a natural next step that we work with Blizzard Entertainment to create new products that help enhance players' World of Warcraft experience."

The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse's graphic user interface is designed to be familiar to World of Warcraft players, with a look and feel similar to the game's interface. Illumination is tied to each profile for up to 10 different profiles with more than 16 million color choices. With easy to use drag and drop software, players can program all 15 buttons with over 130 in-game World of Warcraft commands.

Some of the features of the customizable World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse include:

• 15 programmable buttons plus scroll wheel that includes:
  • 4 way D pad on left side
  • 2 way button on each side
• Custom macro creation
• Real-time profile switching
• Import and export profile capability
• 6 CPI (counts per inch) settings at 800, 1200, 1600, 2000, 2400 and 3200
• 3 possible polling rate settings of 250, 500 or 1000 Hz
• Independent X/Y axis sensitivity settings
• 2.5 millimeter lift distance

“One of our design philosophies for World of Warcraft has always been to give players a high degree of freedom in customizing their experience," said Paul Sams, COO of Blizzard Entertainment. “The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse extends that principle by putting a wide range of new control options in players' hands."

Available in late Q4 in time for the holidays, the World of Warcraft® MMO Gaming Mouse will be sold for €89.99 and is available for pre-order now. BlizzCon 2008 attendees were the first to see and test this original mouse at the SteelSeries booth.


About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes ten #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.


About SteelSeries

SteelSeries is a leading manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories, including headsets, keyboards, mice, software and gaming surfaces, selling in more than 75 countries. SteelSeries has been on the forefront of professional gaming gear since its inception in 2001, thanks to continued innovation and product development in cooperation with leading professional gamers. All SteelSeries products are developed in co-operation with professional gamers to ensure optimum performance and durability. SteelSeries supports the growth of competitive gaming and electronic sports through professional team sponsorships and community support all over the world. For more information, please visit www.SteelSeries.com.

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Someone somewhere msut have knwon this was coming

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