Raid for the Cure

This is a re-print of a post originally posted by The Big Bear Butt at:  http://thebigbearbutt.com/2009/11/02/announcement-world-of-warcraft-raid-for-the-cure/

On October 28th of 2009, Julie, a member of the World of Warcraft guild Sidhe Devils on Kael’thas (US), revealed to us that she had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Her first treatment is scheduled to begin on November 9th.

To show our support and love for Julie while she takes on this new challenge, her friends in Sidhe Devils are organizing an event within the game of World of Warcraft that we’re calling the Raid for the Cure.

On Kael’thas (US), a united cross-faction walk across Azeroth will be held on Saturday, November 14th, starting at 2:00 PM Central Time (Kael’thas-US server time).

Members of both Alliance and Horde factions are invited to attend. Pink Mageweave Shirts will be handed out for all walkers, and all levels of characters will be welcome. If you’d like, bring your own shirt, or even make it a formal affair with your Festive Pink Dress!

The walk across Azeroth will not be a race of individuals, it will be a group march to show Julie our love and support.

We do want to help spread the word, and encourage donations in a cheerful way to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity, an organization that promotes information and awareness on early detection and treatment of breast cancer, and that supports funding for treatment and research towards a cure.

The Raffle

To that end, we will be holding a raffle. There will be various prizes sponsored by myself and others within the WoW blog community. 

The grand prize (if prize it is) will be a guest appearance on the podcast Sidhe Devils Gone Wild, and influence on our talking points for that show.

Entry to the raffle is quite simple. Go to the World of Warcraft Raid for the Cure donation website, a website created by us but administered and maintained by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and make an online donation, using a valid email address. Once you have received your emailed receipt of donation, just email us a copy of your receipt to tigerlordgm AT yahoo DOT com with the words Raid for the Cure Raffle Entry in the title. That’s it. One entry per person, no minimum donation necessary.  

The Raid for the Cure Event Details

The event itself will take place on Saturday, November 14th on the Kael’thas (US) server. The first start time will be at 2:00 PM Central time. 

We intend to have two initial teams, one for the Alliance and one for the Horde.

We  also intend to support different start times for players that would like to participate, but might not get online or prepared on time.

Julie has told us that her favorite starting zone in World of Warcraft is Darnassus.

To honor her fun in the game, the first Alliance team will form up near Conservator Ilthalaine in Shadowglen, the Night Elf starting area. There will be designated event coordinators there to hand out the Pink Mageweave Shirts.

This team will leave Shadowglen at approximately 2:00 PM Central Time (Kael’thas-US server time).

The Alliance team will travel as a group to Darnassus, and then down to the dock to take voyage upon a mighty ship to the port city of Auberdine in Darkshore. The team will arrive at Auberdine at approximately 2:15 PM. There will be a break to hand out more Pink Mageweave Shirts for those joining the run at this time, and then the team will head off to Astranaar in Ashenvale.

The Alliance team will arrive at Astranaar in Ashenvale near Dalyshia, the Flight Master of Astranaar at approximately 2:30 PM. There will be another short break to hand out Pink Mageweave Shirts if needed.

Meanwhile, the Horde team will have formed up next to Grull Hawkwind in Camp Narache, the Tauren starting area in Mulgore. There will be Horde side event coordinators prepared to hand out more of the inimitable Pink Mageweave Shirts.

At 2:30 PM, both Horde and Alliance teams will depart their respective locations, Astranaar and Camp Narache, and head on foot for the Crossroads in the Barrens.

Both teams should arrive at the Crossroads nearly simultaneously at 2:45 PM server time.

At this point, the last handing out of Pink Mageweave Shirts will be performed, everyone will gather together, hopefully as one great Raid representing both factions, and between 2:45 and 3:00 PM depart Crossroads, headed for the city of Ratchet, and her infamous dock.

The cross-faction group will take ship from Ratchet for Booty Bay, and there descend as one upon that pestilential city of pirates for the wrap up, followed by a wild dance party. Bring your Pink Elekks and pony kegs!

Immediately after the completion of the march, the raffle drawing will be performed offline, and results posted on the blog for all to see.

Thank you all very much for your time in reading this post. I sincerely hope I will see you there in two weeks!

Take care everyone, and please, please keep Julie in your thoughts and prayers.

And just one more thing. If you have not as of yet done so, I respectfully request that all of the wonderful ladies amongst my readership think about visiting a doctor as soon as you can to be tested for Breast Cancer. Never forget, the earlier Breast Cancer is detected, the better!

Call me selfish if you must, but I’d really prefer not to lose any of you. I treasure each and every one of you.

One last addition; if you would like to donate a prize for the raffle, please contact me at tigerlordgm AT yahoo DOT com, with the words Raffle Prize Donation in the title. And thank you very much in advance for even considering it!

My thanks go to Tami Moore (the artist formerly known as Egotistical Priest) and Lauren of P’ville Girl for your prize donations for the raffle! Woot!

Lots of New Stuff Going On

As the title says I’ve had lots of new stuff going on lately.  Firstly, my main Hunter, Valynda, made it to level 50 (milestone) and then on to level 55.  So, of course, I immediately made a DK. Actually, I made two, one on Velen which is my Alliance Realm and one on Borean Tundra which is my Horde Realm. 

I’m still playing Val, though not as much as I had been of course. I’m doing a daily on her (or nearly as daily as I can manage) to get her that little venomhide raptor mount from Un Goro Crater.  Just three more feedings and 80g to finish up.

My Horde DK is Lynnia, today she’s level 62 Blood.  She’s got her flying mount, thank god, that’s saved our bacon more times than I can count. I didn’t like Outland the first time we ventured in there, but since I’ve come to really enjoy the surroundings and the sky is spectacular. Lynnia’s survivability makes questing pretty much a breeze.

You know those towers you have to PvP, well that’s where my flying mount really came in handy as there was a nasty Rogue stealthing there waiting till we set down. We launched and escaped but still whew.

I’m still getting to know this toon and what she’s capable of. I’m working with a macro for a rotation that’s working but not sure if it’s the best it can be. I’m scouring everything I can find on line about DK’s trying to learn this new class. I had 55 levels to learn how to be a hunter, but only a few so far to learn this class. Quite a learning curve going from ranged to melee.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Wasn’t done when the above posted. Though it was going to draft. To continue:

I’ve also been doing quite a bit of BG particularly in Alterac Valley. I don’t know that battle ground as well as others I’ve played and I tend to just follow the pack and hit what they are hitting without strategy. Hopefully it will begin to make more sense as I progress there. I love the experience BG affords and at Alterac Valley that’s pretty significant per tower anywhere from over 5K to 8K. 

One of those positive / negitive combos of the DK is on the positive side they come fully leveled up on first aid which is very handy, but on the negative side trying to level up any other skill, like say cooking or  skinning takes you back to the starting areas to kill level 8 beasts. I’ve been doing it as I’ve found a very lucritive market in skins.  I’ve been skinning on Val and sending them to Lynn so she can AH them for cash. Also the rewards and loot are so much better in Outland which also a positive for earning golds. I’ll need to get Val a flying mount when she comes out to Outland and I need to same my golds right now and earn much more.

Ok, I think I’m done for now. Thanks for visiting and come back soon.

 

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

This comes directly from MMO Champion’s website:  http://www.mmo-champion.com/index.php?topic=92919.0  I’m not good at paraphrasing and a 2nd rate interpretation would just not due on such a momentous announcement as these.

None of the information below has been officialy announced by Blizzard, this is only a compilation of information gathered from reliable sources. Just keep in mind that it takes a LOT to make me post something on the front page and I’m definitely not speculating here.

Other sites started it, I’ll try to finish it.

 Think twice before you read this post, we have a lot of spoilers here.

Most of this stuff will be announced at the Blizzcon anyway, if you didn’t take the time to order the live stream you might want to consider doing it. We will probably see a lot of interesting things here.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)This year, for the first time, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a live Internet stream of BlizzCon coverage from the comfort of your own home. The stream includes the same content as the DIRECTV pay-per-view event, but you do not have to be a DIRECTV subscriber to purchase it. It consists of over 16 hours of video, including interviews and commentary, main stage presentations, and tournament coverage. It’s now available to order for $39.95, and purchasers will also receive the BlizzCon 2009-exclusive in-game pet, Grunty the Murloc Marine (not available in all regions). Head over to the BlizzCon 2009 Live Stream website to get more information, to test video playback on your system, or to place an order. http://blizzcon.rayv.com/

Forums – The WoW Cataclysm General Discussions forum is now available.

Update - Another update from the Something Awful forums has been confirmed and is now integrated to the post. (The original quote was removed by the author’s request on SA)

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is the next expansion for World of Warcraft. Dark and forgotten threats that have long stayed out of sight have finally arrived on our shores, unleashing a cataclysmic event upon Azeroth and now preparing more nefarius plans to take it back.

Level Cap

The level cap in the next expansion will be slightly lower than expected this time around; 85.

This suggests Blizzard wants more room for expansions before hitting the level 100 cap. With less leveling to do (along with the revamped leveling listed below likely to increase the speed and ease of leveling), leveling a new race remains appealing for new and existing players alike.

Leveling from 80-85 should be a much bigger deal, the idea is to make sure that gaining a level really means something and doesn’t make you feel like you just have 4 more levels to go.

New Classes

Cataclysm doesn’t introduce any new classes to the game. Instead, Blizzard have offered more race and classes combinations to players. The Some of these have alreadly been datamined from the 3.2.2 Test Realms. The An Injured Colleague quest and it’s new Night Elf counter-part help to introduce the lore for these new race and class combinations, so we can probably expect to see more of these for some of the less traditional ones.

• Human Hunter
• Orc Mage
• Night Elf Mage
• Dwarf Mage  
• Blood Elf Warrior
• Dwarf Shaman
• Undead Hunter  
• Tauren Paladin
• Tauren Priest
• Gnome Priest
• Troll Druid

New Races

The events of the cataclysm has caused two new races to seek new allies. The Goblins for the Horde and the Worgen for the Alliance.

Goblins

Deathwing once again sought the services of the goblins, as slaves. Unable to refuse such an offer, the goblins were enslaved by him. A large group have resisted however. With their previous homes devastated by the cataclysm, they escaping to an island off the coast of The Barrens. As they strive to recover, they come across an Orc captured on an Alliance ship and rescue him. The Orc turns out to be none other than Thrall himself, and in return offers the Goblins a place within the Horde. These events are carried out in a quest line, allowing players to experience first-hand the reasons behind the Goblins’ shift from neutrality.

Worgen

The cataclysm has cracked open the Greymane Wall, finally revealing what has happened to the kingdom of Gilneas and its citizens. With the Worgen curse taken hold, they have found a partial cure, allowing thme to retain their Human minds even when transformed. Venturing forth from Gilneas and seeking help from the Alliance, they have decided to join them, to combat the new threats of Cataclysm.

Gilneas will make extensive use of the phasing system (much like the Death Knight starting area), to show what happened while the kingdom was cut off from the rest of the world and lead up to present day.

Worgens will have two forms, a Worgen form and a Human form. Players will be able to customise the look of both forms.

New Content

Cataclysm will be the first expansion not to introduce a new continent, instead making use of previously unreleased zones and revamping existing ones.

Classic Azeroth Revamp

A cataclysmic event caused by Deathwing and Azshara will change the face of Azeroth as we know it. Most of the new content for Cataclysm will take the form of a revamped Azeroth, taking advantage of newer additions to WoW such as phasing and daily quests. Most of the quests and mobs in the classic zones will also be redesigned to make leveling less painful. With the revamp, a greater narritive and sense progression will be offered to players. Some zones and dungeons will change drastically to fit this, e.g.,

• The Barrens will be split into two separate zones of two different level bands.
• Azshara will become a low level (~10-20) zone.
• Some of the zones like the Thousand Needles will be flooded.
• Durotar is wrecked and apparently Orgrimmar could be destroyed. A new Orc city is rebuilt over the course of the expansion.
• Gnomeregan will be part of the expansion as well and gnomes might be able to reclaim their capital. (The last part is still unconfirmed)
• Wailing Caverns will be become a lush tropical area as a result of the druid’s magic.
• The Blackrock Spire will erupt and a new version of Blackrock Mountains will be available, apparently Ragnaros will be back too.

In the aftermath of the cataclysm, and the new conflicts on the horizon relief efforts can be found in many zones and new open PvP areas similar to Lake Wintergrasp.

Flying in Azeroth

Part of the redesign of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor is the introduction of flying to the two continents, allowing access to many new areas and quicker travelling across the large continents.

Classic Dungeon Revamp

Redesigning Onyxia’s Lair in Patch 3.2.2 was just the first step. As most of the leveling will take place in revamped areas of Azeroth, so too will the dungeons, allowing players to use them to level from 80 to 85.

Unreleased Zones & Dungeons

With the addition of flying mounts to Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms and the redesign of many zones, most of the previously unreachable or incomplete zones will now be made available to players. This is where most of the new content from 80 to 85 will take place. Some of these are,

• Hyjal (present)
• Gilneas – The Worgen starting Zone.
• Uldum

It is unclear if the old Goblin locations such as Kezan and Undermine will be included in Cataclyms with the revelation of the goblins’ plight, but several new islands have also been risen from the seas by the events of Cataclysm, some on the backs of giant sea turtles and whales, with the addition of several underwater zones.

Characters and Events

Deathwing

Deathwing the Destroyer / Neltharion the Earth-Warder will play a major role in Cataclysm. Having been driven mad by Old God whisperings and turning against his own kind only to be fail in his attempts, Deathwing has sunk into the shadows. While the Horde and the Alliance were busy fighting back the Burning Legion only to then be beset with the Scourge, he has been lurking and moving things into place. After Lady Sinestra’s failed attempts to create a Twilight Dragonflight, he again retreated to Grim Batol and succeeded where she failed. With his results seen in the Obsidian Sanctum, he has finally created the supreme Dragonflight he sought and plans to unleash it upon the world. But what of the Old Gods’ sway over him?

Azshara

Queen Azshara will also play a major part in Cataclysm. Unknown to many mortal races, long forgotten by others, and believe to be dead by her own kind, she has not been dormant in depths of the Maelstrom. Having those around her transformed by the Old Gods into Naga after her failure in the War of the Ancients, she has become far more powerful and a greater threat than she once was. Not content with just Nazjatar and the depths of the sea, Azshara seeks to reclaim power and reign once again. With the true plan behind Lady Vashj’s support of Illidan remaining a mystery we do not know what hand Azshara has yet played. The big question remains, is she now serving her “saviors”, the Old Gods?

The Cataclysm

I’m still not sure who is the true end boss of Cataclysm is, but the cataclysm appears to have been caused by attempts to incantation to summon extremely powerful beings using an ancient incantation by Deathwing and Azshara. They’re both very powerful, but the cataclysm itself suggests something more powerful is behind it, perhaps their shared past of Old God influence?

The Guardian of Tirisfal

Malfurion Stormrage will be returning to Azeroth to aid in the creation of the new Guardian of Tirisfal – Thrall! Med’an’s role in these events is currently unknown.

The New (New) Horde

Thrall will hand over the leadership of the Horde to Garrosh Hellscream, while he serves as a coordinator for both the Horde and Alliance forces in and effort to combat the new threat of the Naga and Black Dragonflight. Without Thrall to keep Garrosh in check, he declares open war on the Alliance. In the political upheaval Cairne Bloodhoof is implicated as a traitor to the Horde and murdered by Garrosh. Cairne’s son Baine takes over as the new Tauren chieftan. This could explain why Baine was removed from the game in Patch 3.2.2, you can find more information about this in Ahmo Thunderhorn – replacement for Baine Bloodhoof?

by Boubouille on on August 15, 2009

TweetCraft for Wow

World of Warcraft Cheats has posted about this new app here: TweetCraft for WoW Players.

I actually tried the darn thing out on the day it launched.  I flooded the tweet world with a load of crap and made some of my tweet friends a little upset. Everytime I moved my toon it sent a new tweet. I admit I didn’t research it thoroughly before I launched it and perhaps there is a way to tweek the tweets to keep it from documenting every move you make, but I haven’t found it.

 Oh Blessed Day! They fixed it between the time I started this post and publication.

TweetCraft 1.1 is now available!!

Thanks to everyone for helping make TweetCraft better. The 1.1 release includes two key changes – disabling all AutoTweets except for achievements, and fixing the settings not being saved bug. It also includes a number of small feature requests and other bugs. Changes in TweetCraft 1.1

With the bugs fixed I’m going to try it again. 

TweetCraft is an in-game Twitter client for World of Warcraft. TweetCraft can:

• Send/receive Tweets in-game (Immediate sending reloads your UI)
• Queue Tweets to send when it’s more convenient for you
• Upload in-game screenshots using TwitPic
• AutoTweet when you log in, enter an instance or get an achievement

That’s it for now. Thanks for visiting and come again soon.

Hi I’m An Altaholic

Hi I’m Catryalini and I’m an Altaholic. It all started about a year ago when I was first introduced to World of Warcraft by my daughter, Jadeskye. We started draenei hunters, but that didn’t last long. It became clear after the first few weeks that we would not sync up to play as a team often and I lost heart. As a result, my first alt was borne. Valynda my Belf Huntress (43) was my first true main.

I have had up to 30+ different toons on up to 5 servers at any one time or another. These toons cover the whole gambit of races, factions and classes. Most recently I started a new warrior human and a dwarf huntress, oh yeah also a draenei shaman. And I’ve recently rediscovered my first Nelf druid, Valentyra. I am really enjoying playing her again. I hit level 30 over the weekend and got my mount. A beautiful striped frost saber.

Ok well this post is taking days to complete and in that time I’ve deleted the dwarf huntress and my gnome lock and my draenei mage. I created a human rogue, a drainei preistess, and a Belf paladin. I’ve got so many toons coming and going I don’t know what I have anymore. I want to try out everything. My first love is for the hunter but I also really like the druid class. If I can’t have a pet on a toon, I’ll be the pet, lol.

I just got my travel form on my druid at level 30 and that is nice. I’m hoping to gain some proficiency in the healing aspect of the game. Hence the desire to create druid, paladin, shaman and priestess toons. This is an aspect of the game I have a great desire to become proficient in. I still have trouble healing myself on my druid so I have a long way to go and lots to learn on this aspect of the game.

Well more to follow in the future. Thanks for visiting and come again soon.