Upper Deck has announced that the Death Knight class is coming to the WoW trading card game. Just like in the MMO, the class plays differently than any other -- their website has a series of previews posted that show just how different their DKs are. The class is designed to do crazy damage with two-hand weapons, and there are options to do extra damage by sacrificing allies or equip gear that provides you with solid armor even as you're churning out DPS. There are Death Knight Horde and Alliance allies as well, and each of them has a Death Knight-specific ability -- lots of Shadow damage, exchanging protection for more damage, and even some Frost-tree cold debuffs. And there are quests to go along with the Death Knight class as well, where DKs get extra bonuses for completing and playing certain quests.

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Happy Wednesday everybody! After the annoying events of last week when the Battle Bots were ripped from the fingers of European players, things have settled down and are back to normal. With that in mind, it's maintenance time. All the realms are going down from 3:00am to 11:00am CEST.

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For the second Tuesday in a row around the same time (9:00-9:30 pm EST-ish), the US Retaliation battlegroup has crashed. Blizzard has confirmed that it's performing urgent maintenance on the hardware of the affected realms, and they'll provide an update at 11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST. Hmmm. Makes you wonder if whatever caused last week's crash was accidentally rolled back during server maintenance earlier today.

The following are the affected realms:

Area 52, Auchindoun, Azuremyst, Blade's Edge, Blood Furnace, Coilfang, Dawnbringer, Exodar, Fizzcrank, Galakrond, Ghostlands, Grizzly Hills, Shattered Halls, Terokkar, The Scryers, The Underbog, Velen, and Zangarmarsh.

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Every Tuesday, Shifting Perspectives explores issues affecting Druids and those who group with them. This week, another Ulduar boss dies to moonkin nukes, feral claws, and tree slaps.

Chase Christian from Encrypted Text recently started a series of guides on doing Ulduar as a Rogue, and I must admit that the relative ease and simplicity of describing the role of a pure DPS while raiding is enough to make me sob quietly into a hanky. Meanwhile, I'm driving myself to the nuthouse trying to describe four entirely different roles for a single class. Pardon my saying so, but this column was the hell of a lot easier to write back when we sucked at everything that wasn't healing. Damn you, multi-spec viability! Damn you to HELL!

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One thread over at the forums sparked quite a discussion when it asked what the problem was with World of Warcraft PvP. It's a pretty good question and definitely not something with a simple answer, but Ghostcrawler took up the task and addressed several issues in his usual forthcoming fashion. In a nutshell, Blizzard views the following issues as the primary problems of PvP:

• Too much emphasis on Arenas and not enough on Battlegrounds.
• Too much emphasis on 2s and not enough on 3s and 5s.
• Not enough class / spec representation in Arena. Warlock, hunter and shaman numbers in particular are too low, but they're not the only ones.
• Too fast-paced.
  

Ghostcrawler proceeded to explain the last point in detail, talking once again about burst damage and reiterating their intent that PvP should be a balance between damage, healing, and crowd control. He says that Blizzard plans to "add an extra GCD or two" in the small window where a player can either be healed to full or fall to enemy fire, allowing players to better use their full toolbox. Anyone who has ever played Arenas should know that that's a pretty tall order.

The charge that burst damage is too high is also old and not entirely accurate. Blizzard points to the fact that healers are also powerful in Arenas -- borderline overpowered, actually. Very few Arena teams find success without a healer. Ghostcrawler reminds players that healers are so important that not having a Mortal Strike-type debuff "may be a huge liability." It's a delicate problem, and Blizzard is afraid that nerfing burst damage across the board can lead to extended matches where crowd control remains the only solution.

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Yes, Zarhym has revealed that you will be able to get chest piece heirlooms in patch 3.2, and that they will give a 10% XP boost that does stack with the boost from the shoulders. So that means, recruit a friend trickery aside, the well-appointed alt can get 10% from shoulders, 10% from chest, and another 100% from rest (at times), and they all stack.

This brings the list of heirloom-able slots to: main/off/two-handed weapons, shields, ranged weapon, trinkets, shoulders, and chest. And there might be more to come in patch 3.2 that we haven't heard about yet. My alts are excited already.

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We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere.

• Mend Pet has Ten Do's and Don't's of Misdirection.
• The Hunter blog QQ Pwn More takes a look at Survival versus MM for Ulduar fights.
• Another great Honors Code post, the 969 Paladin Threat Rotation.
• Amongst other things, World of Ming has some tips on how to maintain your interest in WoW.
• Ever wonder what the WoW Devs do during maintenance? Ghostcrawler tells all.


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I don't know about you, but with all these announcements about the 3.2 Patch being released. I have been sitting idly by gnawing at the bit and tempted to shout out, "Ghostcrawler! What are you going to do about us Hunters! Show us some love already!"

Well it seems that our favorite Lead Systems Designer must have had the same thought as he posted up some insights over on the Official Forums in the Hunter's Questions and Commentary thread.

• Ammo costs
• Pet scaling
• Crowd control and trapping

Read on for more details.

Addressing the question of the ever growing and the ongoing expense of ammo for Hunters. Ghostcrawler simply stated, "We agree with the comments that ammo costs have gotten too high. It was acceptable when hunters realistically did not die as often, and thus didn't have high repair bills. But it has gotten too high now." Maybe we can finally see some of those ammo changes that never made it into 3.1.

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Wow. Can I just say that again? Wow. When Blizzard announced that they were introducing a new Battleground with Patch 3.2, I personally thought it was going to be some mid-scale map similar to Strand of the Ancients or Arathi Basin. Being a Battlegrounds nut, I was completely stoked. When Zarhym hinted that the new map would be "Wintergrasp combined with Alterac Valley," it became clear to me that Blizzard was thinking on a much bigger scale. If we look at their development patch for Battlegrounds and world PvP, it's no stretch to say that the Isle of Conquest is their most ambitious PvP project yet. More ambitious than Wintergrasp, in fact.

How can anything be more ambitious than Wintergrasp, which proved to be so tremendously popular that it tends to break realms? Well, the only real limitation to Wintergrasp was because it had no limits with the number of participants. That was the only thing that brought servers down to their knees. The Isle of Conquest takes care of that problem by limiting participation to a (mere) eighty people. This then leaves Blizzard free to implement all sorts of cooler stuff like parachuting into enemy territory. The new Battleground brings the much anticipated aerial combat element into World of Warcraft PvP.

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Every so often, even the best-planned upgrades go awry. In case your iPhone 3.0 upgrade breaks and you have to restore the iPhone, you should make sure to write down the serial number of your Mobile Authenticator ahead of time (or take a screenshot of it and transfer it to your computer).

The serial number is found on the Setup screen of the Authenticator, and Blizzard will need this number from you if you need to detach the Authenticator from your account (because your iPhone needed to be restored the Authenticator got a new serial number).

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Today Blizzard posted a preview of some of the Argent Tournament updates, and it looks pretty cool. There are going to be two new Tourney-related quest hubs in Icecrown: a Cult of the Damned camp overlooking the Tourney, and a Vrykul outpost on an island to the north. The Black Knight will also be returning; I guess it was only a flesh wound after all.

There are also going to be new dailies and new rewards for players exalted with the Silver Covenant/Sunreavers, as appropriate. Silver Covenant and Sunreaver tabards, their ground and flying mounts, and a Shimmering Wyrmling pet are all mentioned.

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Patch 3.2 - New Argent Tournament Updates
Quote from: Blizzard (Source)With the release of the Secrets of Ulduar, the Argent Tournament opened its doors to heroes from all over Azeroth and saw champions arise from the ranks to take on the challenges before them to prove their worth. In the next upcoming content patch, Call of the Crusade, the Argent Tournament will be expanding its influence and players will be able to experience all-new dailies, rewards, and areas of interest.

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

You know, I was getting bored of that whole musical intro thing, but having it around certainly made these preambles easier to write. What do you write here every day about a daily Q&A column? Guess what, guys! We're A'ing more Qs! Shock! Awe!

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Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, where each week blogger and columnist Alex Ziebart answers your questions about the lore and history of the World of Warcraft. Ask your questions in the comments section below, and we'll try to answer it in a future edition.
I'm going to get this out of the way right off the bat since I know I'll get a dozen people asking again this week: Yes, Know Your Lore will be coming back, it is not gone forever. I promise. I will pinkie swear on it, even. Come on, who wants to pinkie swear? Anybody? Anybody?

Aler asked...

"On the topic of the Nerubians and the Qiraji, is there any relation in the lore between the two? Or are two insect civilizations coincidental?"

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I wasn't anywhere near Huntington, NY on Saturday, but our friend Medievaldragon from BlizzPlanet was, and he did stop by the Christie Golden reading at the Book Revue bookstore. He even brought videos back with him, and so if you're a Golden fan (she is a New York Times-bestselling author, after all) and want to see her reading from Arthas, there you go.

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Wrought is an exciting new machinima created by Cranius and Legs. As the story goes, a Human warrior and a Blood Elf woman fall in love. Clearly, this relationship is scorned and forbidden by the Sindorei. The Blood Elves attack the woman, and the human is killed in a vicious ambush. The warrior returns to life as Forsaken. He learns that his lover has been imprisoned, so he flies to her rescue. I'll leave the rest unspoken, so that I don't spoil the story for you.

This video is absolutely amazing. Cranius and Legs managed to get the WoW models to show an incredible depth of emotion. The entire storyline is shot with such precise framing and flow that you can't miss what's happening. The authors have really raised the bar in narrative music videos, and I desperately hope they tackle another project together.

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Jed sends in this screenshot of his paladin taking a nostalgic ride through Westfall at nighttime. Remember the early leveling quests in places like Westfall and Redridge? Where you didn't have all this story and meaning, and all you had to do was deliver messages from one lazy jerk questgiver to another, or try to find a boar with an intact liver among dozens of boars with hepatic failure? On second thought, the early levels can go hang. Chasing Arthas across Northrend is way more fun.

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Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all those other shiny MMOs! Check out this roundup of the latest news from the wider MMO world.

	A World of Warcraft player's guide to Free Realms Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into? Comparing one of the largest and most popular MMOs with the current fastest-growing MMO? Do I have a deathwish? Well, it turns out World of Warcraft and Free Realms actually do have a few things in common, but a straight comparison isn't the point of this article. We at Massively have decided to compile a guide for World of Warcraft players who may be interested in checking out what Free Realms has to offer. Even better, for those WoW players out there with children, this guide could be valuable for some alternatives to your usual family gaming choices.
	DDO goes F2P: An interview with Turbine As the news hit yesterday concerning Dungeons and Dragons Online going free-to-play, many MMO gamers collectively rejoiced, while others didn't. The idea of this hybrid business model is wonderful for those who have yet to experience DDO, as it now gives them a chance to play the game as long as they'd like, with no level cap restrictions for absolutely no cost. This means no credit card info changing hands, no commitments to a monthly fee and the implied need to "get your money's worth" and no real need to quit the game if you can't afford it. But it can't be that easy, can it? Well, there's a slight catch.
	Free Realms breaks the 3 million mark Sony Online Entertainment has just announced today that their kid-friendly free-to-play mega-hit Free Realms has hit the 3 millions registered user mark. This news comes less than seven weeks after the game's launch, and only two weeks after their last milestone of two million registered users.
	Should MMOs have sequels? From movies and books to computer games, the concept of the sequel is firmly embedded in the entertainment industry. It's usually a much safer bet to make a new part to an existing successful intellectual property than it is to back an untested product. In the games industry, sequels are a great way to make more money from the same game concept but as usual MMOs have proven to be something of a different animal.

	Hands on with the Aion beta: Exploring Sanctum and Verteron After leveling your stunning avatar to level 9, ascending to Daevahood and getting your wings, it's time to go out into the world -- well Verteron at least. But first, let's talk a little about the glorious city of Sanctum and what your new Daevic powers really mean.
	The Digital Continuum: Reign of the shooters Can it be coincidence that everywhere you look at this year's E3, most of the exciting upcoming MMOs are shooters in one way or another? I'm looking forward to Final Fantasy XIV as much as the next fan, but there's only one or two traditional looking concepts that have my interest.
	Runes of Magic drops more info about Elves as a playable race Frogster really seems to be on a roll the release of content updates on a regular basis since launch; Return to the Ice Dwarf Kingdom (Patch 1.7) dropped earlier this month, bringing guild castles, permanent pets, and high level content with it. Chapter II - The Elven Prophecy will be released in September 2009.
	MMO racism: the No Elves! movement picks up steam To some it is unadulterated racial hatred; to others, pure marketing genius. Ok, perhaps I'm sensationalizing just a bit, but since its release, the No Elves! trailer for Global Agenda has generated quite a buzz. A recent newsletter announcement by Hi-Rez Studios details how they plan to capitalize on it.
	Rumor: Cryptic developing a Neverwinter Nights MMO According to a recent rumor at Variety, Cryptic Studios may just be developing a Neverwinter Nights MMO afterall. Of course the speculation first arose a few weeks ago when Atari acquired Cryptic, but the speculation has now reached full-fledged rumor status! *Gasp*

"The dark times will pass."

Blood Elf NPCs say this all the time, but how do they know? Are they just saying that to try to give us enough hope to finish the task they just gave us? Or do they actually foresee an end to the evils that we fight on a daily basis?

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Yes, that's Arthas admiring his own title on a license plate -- Kallis of Silver Hand sent us this shot, presumably before his head was chopped off by Frostmourne. Trust us, if you think celebrities are angry when the paparazzi come by, you don't want to see what the Lich King does.

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It's been a week of big news altogether around these parts.

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Recent In-Game Fixes - 06/15/09
The Freya Zerg Kill posted yesterday is already hotfixed, well that was fast.
Quote from: Bornakk (Source)6/15/09

• The additional healing Freya receives, through the Attuned to Nature buff, has been increased.
• Focus Anger, on Yogg-Saron’s Crusher tentacles, will no longer result from pet attacks.
• Pyrite will now disappear after 3 minutes instead of 1 minute.

Upcoming Mount Changes - Updated 06/15
Quote from: Zarhym (Source)Update 6/15: We've altered the original text to reflect that the decreased casting time for summoning mounts applies only to ground mounts. Flying mounts still require a 3 second cast time.
Strand of the Ancients Coin Toss in Patch 3.2
Quote from: Zarhym (Source)I have some news that will hopefully alleviate some of your concerns. The current plan is to implement the "coin toss" for Strand of the Ancients in the next major content patch. We know it's been a long time coming, but the solution to the issues preventing us from originally randomizing who starts on offense/defense is in the works right now.
Ulduar Hall of Fame Update
I finally took the time to update the Hall of Fame with the latest kills. Please note that it isn't complete yet, the hard mode of Yogg-Saron remains undefeated 2 months after the release of the dungeon.


Blue posts
Quote from Blizzard staffRogue Mage Priest
We'd prefer to see other comps as dominant as RMPs in 3s. The problem is if we nerf RMP without making other changes, then double melee teams would likely just take their place. The public perception is that at least RMP requires more coordination and finesse than double melee (though we also think there is validity to the claim that just because you have the option of crowd control doesn't mean that bursting someone down makes you somehow more legit.) (Source)

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