We have been very busy over the course of the last couple months gettings guide content updated and written for the release of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft.  On or before launch day for the expansion we will have the following guides ready:

Spugnort’s 1-80 Horde Leveling Guide

• Completely updated with 3.0 quest paths and experience changes
• Covers all starting zones, including the Death Knight
• Available for Download in PDF form
• Full in-game leveling mod included FREE!

Spugnort’s Instance and Raid Strategy Guide

• Covers all 5, 10, and 25 man encounters in the Outland
• Covers 5 mans in Northrend
• Strategies are being developed for 10/25 man content in Northrend
• All boss fights, abilities, and drops are covered

We are currently working on the following guides and anticipate Wrath of the Lich King updates shortly after launch:

Spugnort’s 1-80 Alliance Leveling Guide

• This guide is being expanded to cover the new quest lines and experience changes in WoW 3.0
• An in-game mod is being added to make leveling even easier
• All existing quest lines are being revamped to include experience changes

Spugnort PvP Guide

• While we would have loved to have this one ready for launch, there simply wasn’t enough information about how PvP will work in WotLK. As soon as we have a chance to dig in and start developing new PvP strategies, we will update this guide ASAP.

Spugnort’s Gold Making Guide

• Again, we would have loved to have this guide ready for launch, but without an active in-game economy for us to detail, there was simply no way to provide reliable information during the beta. As players begin moving into Northrend, the new professions are learned, and the auction house stocked, we will review the economic situation and publish an update for this guide ASAP.

Spugnort’s Reputation Guide

• During our beta testing, we did not actively persue reputation gains. This guide will be updated with Northrend factions once we have had time to develop our characters on the live servers.

While questing in the Outland for (I’m ashamed to admit ) the first time I came accross quite a few things that puzzled me, irritated me or frustrated me, however I was always able to figure things out. But I have to say I was at quite a loss when it came to one particular quest in the Area 52 part of Netherstorm…Dr. Boom!  All I wanted to do was kill that annoying little butthead so I could complete the quest, get my XP and move on with my life…huh easier said than done!  I tried a few times to be sneaky and quick but to no avail.  He killed me, not I him.  It was with great reluctance that I asked my hubby for help…I mean I know he’s been around the block a few times so he’s wiser (well, at least when it comes to WoW).  I just like to be able to claim that “I figured it out all by myself!” (oh geesh, I sound like I’m 3)  Anyhow, he was able to set me up with a strategy that truly made the quest as easy as pie for my beastmastry hunter, so I figured I would share it with you in hopes of saving some poor frustrated soul the agony of attempting this task in a conventional way…it won’t work and the repair bill really sucks!

So, here’s what to do:
1. Tell your pet to “Stay”
2. Wait for an opening in the march of his little suicidal bomber minions
3. Step in and throw down a frost trap - this will cause the little minions to explode on contact of the ice so they never get close to you!  Boy…this quest just got a whole lot easier already!
4. While the frost trap is active take a few steps toward Dr. Boom and chuck the “Boom’s Doom” bombs at him (these are the only things that even hurt him…you can shoot him all day and he will just stand there!!)  Just be sure to throw one, walk out of his range and then go back to throw another once the cooldown is up.  If you stay there he will throw things back at you, and they do not tickle!

All you need to do is repeat these steps until the meniacle little goblin dies and voila! 12k XP, nearly 4g and a decent piece of armor.  Whew!  was I glad when that was done.  I decided after that I had to go into town and see Boots (the bartender) and get me a mug of Cherry Grog to wash away the stress.  Ahhh yes….much better now!

Below are the 3.0.3 Patch Notes.  Keep in mind it is possible they could change, but this is what we are anticipating!

General

• Removed “A Mask for All Occasions” as criteria for the “Hallowed Be thy Name” meta achievement.
• Replenishment: Players below level 50 can now benefit from this effect.
• Resilience: The damage reduction component of resilience has been increased from 2 times the critical strike chance reduction to 2.2 times the critical strike chance reduction. In addition, the maximum damage reduction to a critical strike from resilience has been increased from 30% to 33%.

Racial

• Blood Fury: No longer triggers global cooldown.
• Shadowmeld: The cooldown will now start on use instead of on break.

Druids

• Druid talents points have been refunded. Players will need to visit a class trainer to relearn spells and abilities.
• The Swift Flight Form is now available on the trainer at level 71, requiring 300 riding skill, and Flight Form learned.
• Bash: The interrupt from this ability will now work on targets that are immune to the stun.
• Berserk: Now clears the cooldown on Mangle Bear.
• Earth and Moon and Moonfury (Balance) reduced from 5 ranks each to 3 ranks each.
• Eclipse: Buff duration extended to 15 sec and bonuses doubled. The cooldown has been increased to 40 seconds.
• Growl: Cooldown changed to 8 sec.
• Insect Swarm: Tooltip corrected to indicate it does not affect hit chance with spells.
• Moonkin: Only single target spell critical strikes can trigger the mana gain from this talent.
• Nature’s Swiftness: This ability will no longer give chances to trigger Omen of Clarity.
• Omen of Clarity: Will no longer be triggered by the Honorless Target buff gained when entering the world.
• Survival Instincts will no longer be on the Global Cooldown.
• Swiftmend: now benefits correctly from Genesis talent.
• Tiger’s Fury: Ranks 5 and 6 have had their damage bonus decreased.

continue reading "WoW 3.0.3 Patch Notes"

I have had a chance to run through the Death Knight starting campaign a few times now and have to say that it is one of the most interesting and enjoyable questing experiences in World of Warcraft. While the content may be too dark for some people, the quests have unique objectives, the quest path is very linear and easy to follow and the rewards and humor make it well worth the time to play through it.

That said, the Death Knight does not really have an option when it comes to the initial quest line. Your initial 49 talent points (48 if you don’t quite make level 58) and the ability to leave the starting area depends on the completion of the quest line. In total there are a little over 40 quests and it takes around 2 hours to complete once you are familiar with the quests. My first run through the area took around 3 hours as I spent the time to read over the quest log, find my objectives and on a couple occasions needed to repeat a portion of a quest a couple time in order to figure out exactly what needed done.

After completing the starting area, I proceeded to Western Plaguelands where I ran through the typical quest grind and got myself just shy of 59 (you leave the starting area at or very close to 58). After this I decided to make my way to the Outland and run some Hellfire Penisula quests. I was supprised at how powerful the Death Night class was when I started killing boars and orcs right outside of Thrallmar. I was easily able to handle double and triple pulls and would typically come out of the fight at or near full health, ready to pull the next group. My character is Blood spec’d and the self healing capabilities are incredible. This lead me to the next adventure - 5 man, all Death Knight parties.

My first group headed into Ramparts with 4 Blood spec and 1 Unholy spec character. We had 2 level 59’s, 2 level 60’s and a 63. The 63 was our Unholy spec char and dropped into Frost stance for the addition armor and to play as the tank. I’m not sure the instance knew what hit it!

The Blood auras of the Blood spec Death Knight cause any self healing to apply to the other party members around you as well. With 4 Blood specs, we were doing an amazing amount of cross-healing. As long as everyone keeps swinging and using the appropriate health-generating spells, the 5 man/all Death Knight party is a viable 5 man instance group. It actually provides for a very exciting and fast-paced style of running instances. In order for everyone to survive, everyone needs to be fighting to at 100% - if anyone slacks off, characters start dying.  This, of course, means that you have to have a decent group - but that isn’t that much different than what you normally require to run instances.

All in all, the Death Kight is a load of fun to play and I look forward to writing up several more blog entries about my exploits on the beta realm. Next time I’ll get the screenshots and game play videos up for everyone to take a look at.

-Spug

Over the course of the past week we here at Spugnort’s World have spent quite a bit of time in the WotLK beta.  I have personally had the opportunity to run through the entire opening questline for the Death Knight and I must say I think right now this is my favorite character class!  I do love my hunters, but this class can take a real beating from multiple mobs and the health bar barely flinches due to spells and abilities which return health to you.  The class also has some wicked attacks that deal major damage. 

Now, Blizzard knew that starting a character out at level 55 would produce all kinds of issues, so they hook you up with some decent green gear to start out with.  As you quest along, not only do you get experience and cash, but you also receive some pretty sweet blues including a sword, rings, breastplate and boots just to name a few.  With each quest you turn in you are also granted talent points, some turn ins are worth more points than others, but by the time you reach level 58 and have completed your opening questline in its entirety you will have accumulated the same number of talent points as a character reaching 58 who started at level 1 (not a bad deal,eh?).

I would have to say my favorite quest is the one that requires you to fly on a cool dragon mount and shoot ice bolts at your targets.  The ice bolts require the use of the dragon’s mana so when he gets low you have to swoop to the ground and devour one of the human targets you’re fighting to replenish his mana.  I must say though that the quest “Grand Theft Palimino” pretty much rocks, too.  Hint: if you’re a Tauren, steal one of the little colts…it’s hilarious!

So, basically you’re asked to steal, murder the innocent, and pillage your way through a couple levels, so while this may not be for the morally righteous, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Updated 11/08/2008 following build 8770.

New notes are marked in bold, removed notes are underlined. Please note this is slightly different from the US forums and was done to make the removals easier to spot.

Welcome to the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Beta Test. The list below contains information on the current available content for testing and general information. This information is subject to change. Please visit the EU Beta forums to submit feedback and discuss the expansion development with others. http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/index.html?sid=2003

General

• The continent of Northrend is now available! To travel there, visit one of four transportation masters in either Orgrimmar, Undercity, Stormwind Harbor,or Menethil Harbor.
• The floating magical city of Dalaran is now available!
• The Barber Shop has been implemented and you can now visit one of the Barber Shops in the major cities to change your appearance.
• The all new Achievement System has been implemented.
• Transportation between Howling Fjord and Borean Tundra can be found at the Tuskarr villages in those zones.
  continue reading "Wrath of the Lich King Beta Patch Notes 8/11"

Right now the battlegrounds are the place to be!  Not only do you have the option to crush your opponent, but Aug. 8-24 you also have the chance to get really cool extras during the Spirit of Competition Celebration!  This is a celebration held every two years when members of both the Horde and Alliance factions can honor the spirits and earn their competitors tabard by attempting to defeat each other in the various battlegrounds.  Each participant is guaranteed to have a Tabard delivered to their mailbox at the end of the fight.  The members of the team who is victorious also have a chance to be granted a prized gold medal which summons a really cool companion pet!   

To participate in this event, simply enter any battleground and do all you can to help your team win, the more you win the greater your chances of getting a gold medal which will summon your newest loyal companion!  Good luck to all and let the games begin!

Racial Abilities

• Arcane Torrent (Blood Elf) global cooldown removed.

Death Knight

• Death Knight spells that cost runes will now display the rune cooldowns on the spell buttons.

Mage

• Arcane Blast effect duration reduced to 3 seconds, and now increases damage by 15/30/45% instead of reducing cast time.
• Arcane Impact renamed Spell Impact and now affects Blast Wave, Fire Blast, Cone of Cold, and Ice Lance.
• Arcane Potency now applies when Presence of Mind is active, talent prerequisite changed to Presence of Mind.
• Conjured mana gems no longer disappear from your backpack after being logged out for more than 15 minutes. Higher ranks of Conjure Mana Gem will recharge an existing mana gem to maximum charges.
• Empowered Arcane Missiles renamed Arcane Empowerment and no longer increases mana cost. It now also increases damage caused by Arcane Blast.
  continue reading "Beta Patch Notes - Wrath of the Lich King from 7/30"

Blizzard has just announced that they will be hosting Blizzcon 2008!

Blizzcon 2008 will be hosted at a convention center in Anaheim California on October 10th and 11th.  This time the convention center will be able to support up to 50% more visitors for Blizzcon.  Tickets will be $100 and are set go on sale August 11th.

For those of you who may not know what Blizzcon is here is a quick rundown of things you would expect to see there:

• You would get the chance to using gaming stations and play many of the upcoming betas, most likely to include; Starcraft 2, Wrath of the Lich King (Most Likely New and Upcoming Raid Dungeons), and possiblly some Diablo III coverage!
• You will hear the Game Developers give talks and presentations about upcoming plans for game releases and the like.
• There will definitely be a major gaming tournament set for this event too, you can count on that.
• Those who attend are usually given a large grab bag too, that includes many neat and valuable items for Blizzard Gamers.
• Last but not least Blizzard usually saves one big announcement for this event.

There is a confirmed project that Blizzard is currently working on they have not announced to the public at all yet.  This would be about the right time frame and the perfect setting for Blizzard to announce what this project is.

On the contrary, will Blizzard really want to release details from this before they even release WotLK?  It may be hard to keep an interest in so many developing projects all at once… as always with speculation… only time will tell!

The last interesting Tidbit is taht Blizzcon will be broadcasted through DirectTV on a Pay Per View channel.  With a customer base of 20 million plus this is a rather interesting idea, and we will have to wiat and see how successful it is.  I know I would much rather enjoy the sunny skies of Cali in October!

Well I found some HUGE news this morning on the WoW forums.  It was a thread started about the pains of the current talent respeccing system. 

The argument that was brought to light was comapring PvP to PvE.  They said for a raider to get the most out of raiding they have to be a certain spec, but they have off nights and may enoy to PvP…so they have to spend 50 gold to respec PvP in order to get the most out of it.  Then the next raid comes the following day and its another 50g down the drain for a respec again.

Its really time consuming to have to remember where every single talent point goes, and I know I usually go work it out on Wowhead before I put any points in.  One mistake and you just cost yourself another 50g for no reason at all. This also works both ways, if a Harcore PvPer were to try and get the most out of PvE they would also need to respec.

So in response to this “problem” Bornka (A Blizzard Community Poster) said this:

“We talked about this recently at the Worldwide Invitational actually. We are looking into allowing players to basically have two talent specs that they can switch between but we are still working out the exact details so we will have to wait and see exactly how it will function in-game.”

At first this sounds great, and to me it is fine, but there are drawbacks to this too!  If you take away the respeccing costs then there will be more gold in the economy and we will see a significant rise in prices over a short period of time… much like when the mass amounts of daily quests were introduced.  I know I am sick of paying 15-20 gold for Shards now…can you imagine 35g?

Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love the idea of being able to respec on the fly, and have a second talent spec waiting in the wings.  However there must be some sort of sunk cost associated with it.  Will they charge players 5,000g or more in order to have that switch on the fly talent spec?

Secondly, how will they restrict the changing of the talent specs?  Will you need to be in a major city to do it… will they allow you to simply switch in the middle of an instant or raid?  All things are left to ponder right now as Blizzard is being extremely vague about how this will work.

In the end I love this idea, and I really hope it can be implemented in a way that is proper for everyone involved in the game.  I trust that Blizzard will keep all these things in mind as they move forward with this great idea!