Filed under: Worgen

Cataclysm Preview: Darkshore

by Gregg Reece Aug 10th 2010 at 1:00PM

Wryxian (European community manager) just released a question-and-answer session done with Blizzard game designers Luis Barriga and Craig Amai about the changes Darkshore has in store in Cataclysm, as well as complications that come with redesigning an existing zone.

While the full quote is behind the break, I figured I'd give you a few highlights:

Darkshore is designed for Alliance players, primarily night elves and worgen, from level 11 through 20.
Lor'danel is a new night elven town just to the north of current Auberdine.
This was one of the first zones Blizzard tackled that centered on the effects of the Cataclysm.

Filed under: Cataclysm, Worgen

New non-combat pet in Cataclysm: Withers

by Matthew Rossi Jul 21st 2010 at 11:00AM

That's right, in addition to a faceless worgen and a gnome for scale, this image shows off Withers, the new noncombat pet available through questing in Darkshore in Cataclysm.

As Breanni of WarcraftPets points out, Withers is a relatively large noncombat pet when you first summon him and then shrinks over time, growing back to his full size when he's near a body of water. (We had trouble getting him to do his emotes, although we did see him noticeably shrink several times.) Unlike the Teldrassil Sproutling, which he resembles, he's got a worn, weatherbeaten look and the amusing size change process. Since he seems to be only available from an Alliance quest, he's most likely Alliance only. No word on Horde-only pets so far, but we'll keep an eye out.

Filed under: News items, Cataclysm, Worgen

Twitter developer chat for July 16, 2010, organized by category

by Gregg Reece Jul 16th 2010 at 11:00PM

This twitter developer chat was focused on the recent beta talent tree overhaul announced for Cataclysm. Lots of information came out including drastic changes to the paladin class. A lot of the answers had to do with the fact that a couple classes aren't very done in the current beta build that everyone has been poring over.

Some highlights:

paladins will be using a new Holy Power resource system in addition to mana
all death knights will gain Runic Empowerment via trainers for all specs
no planned hard cap for the new Mastery stat
still no guild housing

The full categorized round-up is after the break.

Filed under: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior, Blizzard, Interviews, Death Knight, Cataclysm, Worgen, Goblin

Cataclysm Beta: Worgen /silly and /flirt sounds

by Michael Sacco Jun 30th 2010 at 11:40PM

Cataclysm beta is active, as you might have guessed, and we just keep getting more great info thanks to diligent dataminers. Case in point: someone dug up the voice clips for male and female worgen doing /flirt and /silly emotes. If you were hoping for jokes about bacon, hairballs, butt-sniffing, and multiple nipples, you basically won the emote lottery on this one.

If some of the flirts seem a little risqué, you're probably not alone; sadly, all of the best (read: most suggestive) draenei and blood elf flirts never made it past beta, either.

More clips after the break.

Filed under: Cataclysm, Worgen

J!NX releases exclusive shirt designs for Europe

by Zach Yonzon Jun 30th 2010 at 11:00AM

They already get self-cleaning public toilets, over a thousand distinct kinds of cheese and Kelly Brook. This time around, Europeans get more cool things by way of J!NX, those purveyors of geek couture, who have released three new World of Warcraft shirt designs exclusive to Europe. One design features a poster promoting an arena match between a gnome and a tauren in the style of a bullfight. It's nice and funny, but probably not something I'd mind not being available in my region. On the other hand, the two other designs feature the upcoming new races of Cataclysm -- the worgen and goblin, complete with claw scratches for the former just to add a little more badassness. If you're a fan of the promotional art for these two new races, this probably isn't good news if you live in one of the other six continents.

For the Europeans, the shirts are available for ordering at €17.99 to €20.99, depending on your size. The shirts are available only in black in both men's and women's sizes. For everyone else -- or everyone else in the United States, anyway -- get back at the Europeans by walking into a nearby Hot Topic and pick up an exclusive Save the Murlocs shirt. Sorry Asians, Africans, Australians, South Americans and even that one lone dude living in Antarctica -- we'll have to make do with all the basic stuff.

Filed under: News items, Worgen, Goblin

Cataclysm Press Event: Older heirloom items to work for goblins and worgen

by Daniel Whitcomb Jun 13th 2010 at 6:00AM

Here's some good news for everyone planning to roll a goblin or worgen, or even a human hunter or troll druid, when the expansion hits: Your heirlooms will still work, but only until level 80. At the recent Cataclysm press event, Blizzard confirmed that heirlooms from the Wrath era will still work for new characters in the Cataclysm era, and specifically even for goblins and worgen. Since you earned them, you should still get to use them.

However, they also note that the heirlooms will only work up to level 80. At level 80, you'll have to start using new heirlooms that will be added in Cataclysm itself. So go ahead, buy that Bloodied Arcanite Reaper for your new holy cow or worgen warrior; it'll still work just fine, at least until you get level 80.

Filed under: News items, Cataclysm, Worgen, Goblin

The Queue: Worgen for the weekend

by Michael Sacco May 21st 2010 at 9:00PM

Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today.

No witty intro today; I used it all on the headline. You're welcome.

Gamer am I asked:

"Will the worgen in their non-worgen form just look like humans, or will they somehow look different from humans?"

At this point, it looks like human-form worgen look just like every other human in the game. I was hoping for some kind of distinction, too though it still might happen -- after all, female worgen aren't even done, and male worgen still have only four hairstyles and no secondary customization. There's plenty of time yet.

Filed under: The Queue, Worgen

Female worgen preview

by Matthew Rossi May 19th 2010 at 12:28PM

Have you, like our own Mikhail Saccovich, been dying to see what the new female worgen models are going to look like? Die no more! The Escapist has you covered, my friends, in detail. Copious screenshots of the new lady worgen models in cloth, leather, mail and plate gear to give you a general idea of what they'll look like when you roll one. The article emphasizes that these are works in progress, but I dig them. I really like how sinuous they are. My worgen rogue just might be a lady after all.

[Thanks to many tipsters!]

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, News items, Lore, Cataclysm, Worgen

Goblin and worgen forum icons live; still no female worgen

by Michael Sacco May 5th 2010 at 3:00PM

Since the Friends & Family phase of Cataclysm testing is currently active, it only makes sense that the private forum for testers is also up and running, as it has been in expansions past. And with that forum comes new icons for players who've rolled goblins and worgen! To the right, check out the basic (pre-85) icons for male and female goblins and male worgen, straight from the official forum art assets.

Unsurprisingly, and hilariously, female worgen still don't exist, even in forum icon form. Unconfirmed rumors state that the model isn't even in the alpha client at this point. Wonder what the holdup has been for these past nine months.

Or maybe this is just a special icon for female worgen shadow priests. That must be it.

Filed under: Cataclysm, Worgen, Goblin

The Queue: Goblins and worgen

by Alex Ziebart Apr 21st 2010 at 3:00PM

Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

Whoa, Cataclysm questions that we might be able to answer? No way! I'm in shock. Truly. Look at the shock on my face. Do you see it? Yeah, pretty sweet, I know.

Babaloo asked:

"Will places like Gilneas be available to other races in Cataclysm, also, will they function as towns and stuff or for one time, one race staging zones? I'm really worried because it seems like they could've done a lot for those."

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, The Queue, Cataclysm, Worgen, Goblin

Ask a Faction Leader: Genn Greymane redux

by Michael Sacco Apr 20th 2010 at 3:00PM

WoW.com's prestige in the community has afforded us the opportunity to speak with major Azerothian leadership figures on any subject, and we're letting you, the reader, Ask a Faction Leader!

We recently spoke to High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque, king of the gnomes, and he shed light on several key issues, including ADD, spontaneous gnomish combustion, mobilizing Ironforge, threatening letters and interior decorating. In this installment of Ask a Faction Leader, we'll be once again sitting with Genn Greymane, king of Gilneas.

Our first reader question...

King Greymane,

I have recently found a book in Dalaran that states you told the great Alliance of Lorderaon that it was better to just kill all the orcs after the second war. When you meet the leaders of the Alliance of Stormwind, who will you most likely say "I told you so" to when they bring up the encroaching orcs in Ashenvale forest?

Valerii
Human Paladin
Ghostlands

Genn responds:

I did discuss this matter the last time your group had an audience with me, and my opinion hasn't changed. I'd prefer not to know orcs from a hole in the ground. Because they'd be in the hole. In the ground.

Filed under: Worgen, Ask a Faction Leader

Worgen starting zone preview from Scrolls of Lore

by Michael Sacco Dec 4th 2009 at 7:00PM

In lieu of providing any new information on Cataclysm in the wake of BlizzCon, Blizzard's been showing the goblin and worgen starting zones at a lot of major gaming conventions, which means a good handful of players have had the chance to try them out. Nostra from popular lorecrafting site Scrolls of Lore is one of those handfuls, and they've written up a fantastic walkthrough of the worgen starting zone, starting from your character's royal connections and subsequent infection and culminating in Deathwing's cataclysm.

What's not explained (so far, likely because no one's able to get that far yet) are how the night elves play into the whole worgen "thing" as shown in the Cataclysm trailer, but there's still a lot of new information on phasing, quests, and scenery in Gilneas besides what we've already covered, as well as accompanying photos. It's definitely worth a read.

Hopefully Blizzard will continue to fill in more blanks in the worgen storyline as we get closer to the expansion's release, or maybe even update the Cataclysm site more than once every four months. In the meantime we can rely on sites like Scrolls of Lore to give us exhaustive previews of public demos like this one.

Thanks, Nostra!

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it. Nothing will be the same. In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion. From Goblins and Worgens to Mastery and Guild changes, it's all there for your cataclysmic enjoyment.

Filed under: Expansions, Cataclysm, Worgen

The Queue: The bird is most certainly not the word

by Michael Sacco Dec 4th 2009 at 5:00PM

Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today.

Normally I'm all right with birds, but this one kept murdering me in cold blood last night on my priest, even though I was several levels higher than him. I mean, there are elite magnataur out there in the same zone with one-fourth the HP of this damn bird. What do you want from me, Alystros? I pay my taxes, I vote, I volunteer at the local museum. The least you could do is cut your HP and damage by about 75% so I can convert your corpse into gold and experience.

And what does that have to do with The Queue? Nothing, dear readers. Absolutely nothing.

Brysterside asked via Twitter:

What is the best way to start a WoW blog?

Simply put? Start writing! If you want to blog, you have to write. Find something you're passionate about in the game and write write write, because two things will keep readers coming: good content, and regular content. Make sure that you can provide both.

It's not easy getting the discipline to be a regular blogger -- just ask me -- but the payoff can be big in many ways. WoW.com has a series of articles on starting your own WoW blog, which you can start here. Hope that helps!

Filed under: The Queue, Worgen

Ask a Faction Leader: Fandral Staghelm

by Michael Sacco Nov 24th 2009 at 9:30AM

WoW.com's prestige in the community has afforded us the opportunity to speak to major Azerothian leadership figures on any subject, and we're letting you, the reader, Ask A Faction Leader!

We recently spoke to Nexus-Prince Haramad, leader of the ethereal Consortium, and he shed light on several key issues, including goblin rearrangement, investment opportunities, bad business practices, proprietary bandage technology, and static cling. In this installment of Ask a Faction Leader, we'll be sitting with Archdruid Fandral Staghelm of the Cenarion Circle.

Our first reader question:

Dear Fandral Staghelm,

Over the years, I have many times assisted your morrowgrain research. I have found many weird plants in my quest for that elusive herb. I have been awarded many (useless but, I am sure, heartfelt) scrolls and pieces of food by your research team. My question is: Where is all this effort ending up? What end does all this morrowgrain research lead to?

Sincerely,
Bowjób-Lightbringer EU

Staghelm responds:

Look, pal, when I send you on an errand, you say "how high." You don't ask "what exactly do you need all of this eldritch herb for." I need it, you need to get it for me. You know the saying? Yours is not to question why, etc?

Oh, wonderful. See her, over there? My handler is signaling me. I guess that means "answer the poorly-named hunter's (yes, I know you're a hunter) question, you magnificent king among kaldorei." I guess it's just as well, I got a dozen emails about what I was doing with morrowgrain.

Fine. The big reveal. What am I doing with morrowgrain?

Filed under: Night Elves, Trolls, Druid, Lore, Interviews, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Worgen, Ask a Faction Leader

WoW Insider Show Episode 116: We'll see you there

by Mike Schramm Nov 16th 2009 at 4:00PM

Last Saturday afternoon, as usual, we sat down to record a podcast, and you can now hear the results of that below. Adam Holisky, Matt Low, and Turpster and I all got together to talk about the biggest stories from the past week in Warcraft, including what we've heard about the new guild leveling system, the story of the BlizzCon Vegas that won't be, and news of two bags from the PTR. We also answer your emails, talking more about the Dungeon group system coming in the next patch, and how it'll affect both cross-server interaction and folks looking for Oculus runs at three in the morning.

We also talked about the Podcast Awards, and the fact that something extremely unlikely has happened: we got nominated for one. If you're so inclined, you can vote for us over there right now under the "Games" section, and as we say on the show, we're going to be giving away the prize (along with a little something extra) if we happen to win. You can vote every day until November 30th, so put up a little post-it as a reminder, and head back there every day if you can. We appreciate it! Enjoy the show.

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.

Listen here on the page:

Filed under: Podcasts, Podcasting, Fan stuff, Guilds, Blizzard, Humor, BlizzCon, WoW Insider Show, Cataclysm, Worgen

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