By most estimates, Cataclysm is two to four months away from release. With it, everything relating to crafting and professions changes again. Some materials will become junk for a time, while others will soar in value. People are also playing less, raiding less, crafting less. Demand seems to be down for materials everywhere. My gut…
Month: August 2010
Of Polygons and Principles
I’m taking a break from my regular Warcraft posts to ask a basic question – is there a game that you have chosen not to play purely for moral reasons? That’s not to say that the style of game isn’t one you enjoy, but instead that you object to the content or creative direction a…
Entering The Youtubes
Spoiler Warning: Video of new mage Cataclysm spells and Fire mage rotations. Filmed in Ironforge, so no location-based spoilers in this one. There’s more to come, so subscribe to the Youtube channel! One thing I promised to do as part of my beta coverage was produce some videos of the mage changes in Cataclysm. They…
Will My Computer Run Cataclysm?
The most common question I get asked about Cataclysm is “will it run on my computer?” Not something about mages, not what the new zones are like. Not even how I’m finding it, or how much testing I’ve done. It seems the biggest worry I come across is if people have to buy a new…
Beta Patch – The Pyromaniac’s Impact
Spoiler Alert: Discussion of Mage changes in patch 12759. In this article, I’ll also be focusing on Impact, Pyromaniac and AoE talents and how they’ll work together in a solo, dungeon and raid environment. A whole slew of mage changes came out in the most recent patch. The main ones were around armour specialisations and…
The Quest Converyer Belt
Spoiler Alert: Discussion of the phasing technology used in Cataclysm, it’s history, application and the problems surrounding it. Some allusion to in-game events/quests, although no specific details. Back in Vanilla, Warcraft was mainly a scattering of quest hubs, each with their localised set of quests. Sure there may have been prerequisites such as a minimum…
Under The Sea
Spoiler Alert: Pictures of fish! With funny names! And funny faces! And nothing at all to do with anything else really, apart from the funny fishes! It’s not even mage-y! As you probably know already, Cataclysm ushers in a whole range of changes. New places to explore, new creatures to see. For the seasoned adventurer…
Entering Beta: The 80 Fire Mage
Spoiler Alert: Discussion of the latest changes to fire mages in build 12694. Also covering a few general and mage related UI changes and some speculation around what they indicate. The latest beta realm patch was recently released, bringing with it a range of changes to the Mage fire tree (full notes in the forums)….
New Mage Experience: Pt 1
Spoiler Warning: Discussion of the early Mage class experience, including when spells become available and how they impact gameplay. No lore, story or plot spoilers. After firing up the Cataclysm beta on Friday evening, I’ve since tried a handful of characters. My level 80 mage has now been copied over, mainly so that I can…