Blizzplanet has uncovered that Blizzard has apparently filed a patent for something called "BattleChat," which purports to provide "an interface for the electronic transmission of messages and data including voice, text, and message transmission." Along with the recent news that Blizzard is seeking mobile developers, Blizzplanet supposed that this means Blizz is developing a mobile application for chatting with players either in World of Warcraft or Battle.net (their online network from previous games).

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Blizzard has launched the first new realm since the release of The Burning Crusade. It's a PvE realm called Ghostlands, and it's part of the latest batch of free realm transfers. You ready for the list of available transfers? Okay, here we go!

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Haven't you ever wondered when a mob's drops are determined in Blizzard's World of Warcraft? Some players asked this very question on the official WoW forums, drawing the attention of Community Manager Drysc.

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Every Thursday, V'Ming - who thinks that gnome warlocks are travesties of nature and need to be KOSed - shares thoughts and ideas on becoming deadlier at the Arenas. He also dabbles in the dark arts in Blood Pact.

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Gamers on the Street logs into U.S. servers to get the word from the front on what's going on in and around the World of Warcraft.

What's the "right" class and spec to be playing right now? What's going to make the biggest splash on the scoreboards? Why do players choose the classes that they do? WoW Insider readers, who generally enjoy theorycrafting and playing their classes to the absolute hilt, are a savvy lot when it comes to class balance and what specs are hot, hot, hot. Log in, though, and you're much less likely to encounter players who are concerned with theorycrafting or running up whatever spec is considered the new hawtness. In game, players seem concerned about how to get a fair shake with their character of choice.

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A few days ago we tried to estimate how much Blizzard was making from those 10 million accounts, but now we know for sure: it's actually around $1.2 billion (which is up 58% from 2006). Now, you can probably see that that's only $500 million short of the estimate that we were trying to prove was wrong, but don't forget that the $1.2 billion isn't just subscription fees-- it includes all those sales of Burning Crusade last year at full release price. What Blizzard earns from subscription fees is just part of that total.

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Last week, we went over the little things you can do to prepare yourself for battle. For this week, we'll take a look at all the consumables you can take into PvP... from doing PvP. While I did mention that PvP entails some costs, PvP also reaps benefits, granting virtually free consumables you can use in Battlegrounds, Arenas, and even elsewhere in the World of Warcraft.

The basic consumables that any player should probably stock up on are food, drinks, potions, and bandages. In Battlegrounds, players can go on the cheap and rely on the Restoration Power-up that randomly spawns in key points all over the map. In Arenas, players can use Healthstones, Conjured Manna Biscuits, bandages, and the various mage gems. Because encounters are very fast-paced, it's sometimes difficult to catch your breath and get out of combat long enough to eat or drink. This makes Health and Mana Potions good ways to extend your longevity in battles. Fortunately, the folks in Arathi Basin and Warsong Gulch recognize your efforts and send you lovely care packages as you gain more reputation with the associated factions.

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You've seen him do totally pointless things like flying his mounts in loops, killing trolls for absolutely no reason, and even jumping off a cliff. However, Shepiwot the paladin isn't done overloading everyone's brain cells with his latest adventures as machinima author Stoker is pleased to announce the latest in the highly amusing World of Warcraft machinima series "How to paladin".

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The Azerothian Super Villains series is one of those few World of Warcraft machinima videos that makes the jaded members of the QJ WoW team laugh. The creator of the series, Ian Beckman, has just released the fifth episode of the series called The Stockade Redemption and we can say that it is a riot.

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Do you ever wish you could instantly regen by drinking a pot, just like you do in-game? A couple of WoW players and entrepreneurs have created a real life "potion" which has the effect of "+160 to mana" which is defined as "5 - 8 hours of smooth, jitter-free energy". This energy shot is called the Mana Energy Potion and is only available online, but will be available to adventurous gamers in the Los Angeles area soon.

I haven't tried this stuff, but the spousal unit is anxious to order some with a fellow WoW player, so I did some reading. Here are some important details:

• Despite the large looking bottle depicted on the front page of the website (and to the right), the potion is only 40 ml which is less than 3 tablespoons.
• It is not regulated by the FDA because it is a supplement and not a drink, though the labeling is regulated.
  
• You have to be 12 years old or older to purchase.
• It is only available in the United States.
• It contains no sugar and is only 20 calories.
• It changes color.
• They cost $3.45 each, not including shipping and handling.
• It has a citrus flavor.

I have to say, there is a lot about this that worries me, even if I ignore my ripoff alarm. According to the About page, the potion changes color because the B12 oxidizes, but they promise that the potency of each potion remains the same. I would like to know how they ascertain the potency before and after oxidation.

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Totem Talk is the column for Shamans. Matthew Rossi was up all night trying to get a new hat. Only in Azeroth does getting a new hat involve wading in the blood and viscera of dragons from outside the time stream. Seriously, they really need to just put in a freaking boutique or something. Imagine how bad it would suck if you had to prepare for a new job interview by killing Aeonus every time. Heck, maybe you do, I don't know where you work.

Last week we talked about gearing up your off-spec sets. This week, we'll talk about those times when, either by accident or design, you end up having to fill an off-spec role. Usually, this means an elemental or enhancement shammy has to fall back and throw some heals, but not always: my resto shaman has ended up in groups with other healers and actually had to switch over to casting lightning bolts at things on a couple of occasions.

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It's been a few months since we've had our last Azerothian Super Villains fix. However, Episode 5 is finally out, and I must say, it rocks! The Stockade Redemption focuses on Illidan's frustration with his team. When he is sent to prison for past crimes, will the gang save him or attempt to take over?

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If you're like me, Greatfather Winter didn't put a golden ticket or an uber laptop in your holiday stocking. And with my luck, I'll probably never win the Figure Prints lottery, either. Sad, but that's the reality of the situation.

Enter Grumpycoder with their WoW PaperIdol. While they may not offer a rl figurine, they are the first to provide (that I know of) portrait and full body pictures that auto-update the look of your character as your Armory equipment changes.

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Reader Elyasa of Auchindoun (the European server, not the unpopular Outland instances) snapped this foreboding shot in the Black Temple. Her raiding guild, Shine, was heading for Supremus when she looked up and saw this omen in the sky. She didn't mention how the boss fight went, but from the looks of it, the dragons didn't go hungry that night...


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Well Fed Buff serves up tasty snacks to boost your HP and stats, just in time for your weekend gaming.

"How does a Tauren hide in a cherry tree? He paints his hooves red!"

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Blizzard Entertainment's got way more to celebrate over than just World of Warcraft hitting the 10 million subscriber milestone.

The Vivendi Corporation recently sent out a press wire announcing that Vivendi Games, its branch handling Blizzard, has earned a staggering one billion Euro (US 1.5 billion) in revenues last 2007.

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It's difficult for people not to wonder about the things that the 2.4 patch can bring when it comes to World of Warcraft. As a matter of fact, Zertha from the Korgath realm posted what she had in mind in the forums.

Zertha claimed that the Sunwell won't be visited by the players because of the quality of loot that can be acquired from it. Players would rather stay in Shattrath and queue in front of the goblins for an hour a week because it provided relatively good items. These items are at par with the random loot drops in Black Temple and Sunwell.

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Much noise was made in the World of Warcraft forums so that Blizzard would release information regarding the upcoming 2.4 patch. MVP poster Iriel was able to get hold on some of the nifty changes that will be taking place for the combat logging mechanism and the in-game interface options.

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There's an interesting discussion over at the official forums for Blizzard's World of Warcraft regarding the difference between the Alliance and Horde Onyxia Attunement.

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The question in the title comes straight from this very interesting post on Kinless' blog. He and his wife are in different guilds. His guild has a raiding calendar and they adhere to it religiously. His wife's guild has a raiding calendar which is completely ignored. Whoever is online at any given time gets to raid.

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Interface options revamp in 2.4
If I understand this post correctly, it looks like addons authors will be able to add their own options submenu to the Interface options in 2.4.
Quote from: Zootfizzle (Source)Interface Options Revamp

Along with Patch 2.4 we will be releasing a revamped in-game Interface Options screen. Most of the systems that interact with the current Interface Options screen have seen some code changes as a result. The new architecture for the system should allow AddOn authors to modify its contents without the taint issues presented by the current Interface Options system.

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Europe: Free Character Migration

More european overpopulated realms are getting free character migration to reduce the queues. (src)

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