(SPOILER NOTE FROM THROGG — THIS ARTICLE MIGHT HAVE HABERDASHERY BASED SPOILERS ABOUT CATACLYSM.)

“Oh,” Lolegolas said, tossing a cascade of blonde ribbons over his shoulder like a wheat fountain. “Throgg, I must say. I must take it all back. That haberdasher you’ve seen has performed a miracle for you.”

Throgg blinked. “Not Christmas, little belfling. I do not have her Dasher.”

Lolegolas held perfectly still, blinking at the orc with confused eyes. “Have her Dash … oh! Oh, no! I meant haberdasher. The hatter you must have visited. For the hat you are wearing is quite marvelous!”

“You really like it? It is Lord Walden’s Top Hat. It does nothing for me,” Throgg said in slow, careful words. He nudged the front of the hat up slightly, letting his unibrow shine in the sunlight.

“I must disagree, fair Throgg,” Lolegolas said, waving away the comment with his perfectly manicured fingers. “It does wonders for the shape of your skull. It’s gone from being quite block-shaped to something more like a rectangle. Your entire face is far more geometrically sound now.”

“No,” Throgg said. “I mean, it has no stats on it. It does nothing. But it sure looks nice.”

“Well, then, Throgg,” Lolegolas said. “Why are you wearing it?”

The orc smiled as he slid a monocle onto his nose. “Take up banking.”

Name Lord Walden’s Top Hat
Damage Immense to the hearts and romances of those around you
How to get it It’s a quest item in Cataclysm. You must handle the Betrayal at Tempest’s Reach.
How to get rid of it You sell it to some soulless vendor for 1 copper.

Filed under: Phat Loot Phriday

Phat Loot Phriday: Lord Walden’s Top Hat originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does Right Said Fred hold the answer to the latest WoW drama? This week, the Drama Mamas help a frustrated player who can’t figure out why so many of her groupmates seem to feel they’re simply too sexy for their groups.

To my dearest Drama Mamas,

In a random heroic I did earlier, I kept getting prompted to kick members of my party. I saw nothing wrong with the way these players were performing, and I always voted against it. After it happened again, I asked my party why there were so many random kick attempts. I was told by a hunter in my party that the tank, who was in a guild with the hunter, was being an ass and that it was funny, after which the tank sent a smiley face in party chat. I did not say anything further and continued healing, only to be kicked a minute later. Oh, did I mention we were in the middle of Falric?

Was I right to question why there were so many kick attempts? Is there anything I could have done to avoid this situation? It seems like kick abuse is happening more and more frequently. It is not uncommon for me to be in a party where a tank or DPS will start a vote simply because that player won a piece of gear they wanted; I have even been in groups where a member has started a vote to kick a player who is pumping out higher DPS.

Continue reading Drama Mamas: Too sexy for your group

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Drama Mamas

Drama Mamas: Too sexy for your group originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cataclysm

Updates to Cataclysm models, Malfurion Stormrage originally appeared on WoW.com on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buff(ing) for BlizzCon is a bi-weekly fitness series written by ShrinkGeek authors Rafe Brox and Michael McGreevy. Join the WoW.com team in getting in shape for the ultimate WoW geek event: BlizzCon 2010.

BlizzCon is still three months away, but convention season is in full swing. The San Diego Comic-Con ended a few days ago, and in the seemingly endless days that stretch out between now and Blizzardpalooza, there are several huge conventions that may be occupying your time. I’ll be leaving next week for Gen Con, and a month after that you’ll be able to find Rafe and me (along with a large handful of staffers from Massively) at Dragon*Con. I often wonder if we geeks have not subconsciously scheduled some of the biggest conventions of the year over the summer months as a result of the countless dull hours in our youth because we didn’t appreciate the “traditional” summer activities. Whatever the reason, though, this is the time of the year when it’s truly grand to be a geek.

It is not, however, such a grand time if you are trying to make healthy dining choices.

Continue reading Buffing for BlizzCon: The Convention Challenge

Filed under: BlizzCon, Guest Posts

Buffing for BlizzCon: The Convention Challenge originally appeared on WoW.com on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Spiritual Guidance, hosted by Fox Van Allen, consort to the shadows. Don’t mind any distracting grunting you hear coming from under the floor boards. Dawn Moore isn’t buried alive underneath there, I promise. She just needed to take today off. You know. For … um … I dunno, I think she’s one of the Hollywood Squares this week. Who cares, whatever, she’s gone.

Oh, hello shadow priests. Please come in. Shut the door behind you.

Have a seat. We need to talk.

I’ve been hearing rumors on wowpopular.com about your top major glyph choices, and frankly, I’m concerned. It’s telling me that the Glyph of Shadow Word: Pain is the most popular for shadow priests. Madness! And my god, are you really casting Flash Heal that often that you want to glyph for it?

Look, look, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. You’re the victim here. You chose what you thought was a good glyph, and it’s been letting you down. I can help.

After the break, we’re going to run down the list of the top ten most popular shadow priest glyphs and pick them apart, one by one. Hopefully, in the process, we can get rid of your cookie cutter build and find you a great new set of glyphs that matches your play style.

Continue reading Spiritual Guidance: The top ten shadow priest glyphs

Filed under: Priest, (Priest) Spiritual Guidance

Spiritual Guidance: The top ten shadow priest glyphs originally appeared on WoW.com on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You’re playing the game, you’re fighting the bosses, you know the how — but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

Last week we talked about the Old Gods, both ones we know as of right now and ones we can speculate upon come the Cataclysm. This week, we turn an unblinking gaze upon the master of unblinking gazes, the Old God that has arguably the most direct impact upon all of Azeroth. Not only did it indirectly create the nerubians and directly altered the qiraji into their modern form, not only did it battle a Titan to a standstill, but its connection to the Twilight’s Hammer and their demented leader Cho’gall means that even during the upcoming Cataclysm, the consequences of its actions are unfolding.

Most interestingly, this Old God did not even have a name until its own creations gave it one.

Continue reading Know Your Lore: The Old Gods part two — C’Thun

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Lore, Know your Lore, Cataclysm

Know Your Lore: The Old Gods part two — C’Thun originally appeared on WoW.com on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every Tuesday, Shifting Perspectives explores issues affecting feral/restoration druids and those who group with them. This week, we continue to get hit in the face.

This week, we’re continuing our series on Pulling 101 with a look at what happens during the dungeon itself. I was surprised to discover exactly how much of this advice concerns rage management, but shouldn’t have been; any discussion concerning how to pull as a rage tank invariably touches on how to get the most out of an eccentric resource system. A good chunk of this advice will become obsolete as of the Cataclysm content patch, but if you’re leveling and gearing a bear through the dungeon finder, there are still an awful lot of 5-mans between yourself and this fall.

Continue reading Shifting Perspectives: Pulling 101: Deeper into the dungeon

Filed under: Druid, (Druid) Shifting Perspectives

Shifting Perspectives: Pulling 101: Deeper into the dungeon originally appeared on WoW.com on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We’re giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame.

What keeps gamers hooked on their game of choice? Chances are, it’s an element of the gameplay that was teased out with the help of games researcher John Hopson. The experimental psychologist and beta program head for Microsoft Game Studios examines what makes gamers do the things they do and then designs ways to keep them happily doing just that — most recently, in titles such as Shadow Complex, Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach.

All that, and he’s a WoW player to the core. “I mostly play in the two semi-official Microsoft WoW guilds, and lately I’ve been a hardcore player in a casual’s body,” he notes. “My wife and I had our first child a few months ago, so we’ve both dropped raiding and have been levelling alts instead since that doesn’t require a fixed schedule. So far, we’re both up to 5 level 80s apiece. ” We thought it was time to turn the tables on Hopson, a loyal reader and occasional commenter at WoW.com, and ask him for his perspectives on WoW from the inside out.

Continue reading 15 Minutes of Fame: Psychologist and games researcher John Hopson

Filed under: Interviews, 15 Minutes of Fame

15 Minutes of Fame: Psychologist and games researcher John Hopson originally appeared on WoW.com on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Either you’re in the beta or you’re not — but regardless of whether or not you’ve gotten the golden ticket (so to speak), there’s still plenty to read about regarding the upcoming Cataclysm expansion:

• I Like Bubbles is moving full steam ahead to Cataclysm.
• World of Matticus discusses holy power and more for the post-Cataclysm paladin.
• Daughter of Ravenholdt Manor talks Cataclysm lore — specifically, the Defias Brotherhood. (Warning: Cataclysm spoilers!)
• Gray Matter talks about the druid changes in the upcoming expansion.

Filed under: The Daily Quest

The Daily Quest: Cataclysmic originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last Week My PvP perspective on new talent trees might shock you. For example, I advocated last week to remove every PvP talent!

Goals The No. 1 issue players have to deal with when they decide to go for gladiator isn’t about gear, teammates or even skill. If you are a dedicated raider in a competitive progression guild, you can relate to what we’ll be discussing today. The issue is the desire to attain goals and sacrifices that must be made.

Some players want gladiator far more than others, just like some players want to be the first on their realms (or first in the world) to slay dragons. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t care a whole lot about slaying dragons. I was once in a top 50 U.S. guild but left it because raiding required too many hours — hours that could be spent playing arena (which I enjoy considerably more) or doing necessary IRL stuff.

Let’s compare PvE and PvP goals.

Continue reading Blood Sport: How to accomplish your PvP goals

Filed under: PvP, Blood Sport (Arena PvP)

Blood Sport: How to accomplish your PvP goals originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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