Big ding!

Big ding!,
originally uploaded by Shalkis.

After roughly a week after the release, I dinged 70 and got myself a wyvern.

Brian Morrisroe interviewed

gamona.de interviewed Brian Morrisroe, the lead dungeon artist at Blizzard. Don't let the German site scare you, the interview was done in English.

Among other things, they do discuss the so-called "lost content". Morrisroe believes that people will still run level 60 5-man instances as well as Molten Core and other level 60 raid dungeons. I doubt it.

Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

GMs sang out in immaculate chorus.
Down from the heavens descended Overlord Saurfang,
who delivered a kick which could shatter bones
into the crotch of Bolvar Fordragon,
who fell over on the ground, writhing in pain,
as Magni changed back into Stoneform,
but Saurfang saw through his clever disguise,
and he crused Magni's head in between his thighs..

WoW Gold 8.33 times cheaper in EU than in US

A recently released study shows that World of Warcraft gold is 8.33 times cheaper in the EU than in the US. Is Blizzard US just taking gold selling reports more seriously? Is Blizzard EU hindered by having their GMs split across 4 languages? No. The report says that Blizzard EU is simply neglicent.

However, my server isn't all that bad. Especially Alliance gold is relatively quite expensive (cheaper than in US, though). I like to think that my farmbot ganking is doing some good. :)

Day of Fel Fire

So, de doomsday is here. And as predicted, de Alliance was dere to defend de demons. In full force. De Dark Portal is very heavily fortified and there is no way to get even close. I tried. Now I was monitoring the carnage from a safe distance. Scores of bodies littered the battlements around the portal. New troops poured out of the portal, guarded by the finest of the Alliance. I recognized several tabards. Elysium. Alliance Watch. Eternal Night. They.. admired their handiwork.

The first attempt in retaking the portal was a futile one. We were struck down by volleys of lethal lead, blinding Light, crippling cold, searing felfire and distintegrating shadow. The remnants from that attempt were camped on one of the plateaus around the crater. Calls to war were sounded. They needed me. The Portal must not stay in enemy hands. I closed my spyglass and rode to join them.

We started our assault. One after another the lapdogs of the demons fell, only to be replaced by three more. But we endured. We fought for every inch. We fought our way from the edge of the crater to the remains of the camp. Our forces pushed their towards the steps of the portal. A tauren warrior lifted up a body of a dead human. His face was fixed in a perpetual scream, but his tabard.. He was from the Argent Dawn. They must have been the first to arrive, only to be ambushed by both sides.

On to the Portal itself. Voidwalkers, humans, felhunters, elves, infernals, dwarves, dreadlords, gnomes. Each tougher than the one before. I found my thoughts more focused than before. Weave. Aim. Throw. Weave. Aim. Throw. Since the fall of the Soulflayer and the release of the Spider Queen, I have been lost, in a sense. Not sure what I would do while waiting for the end. But this.. seems so natural. Even in the heat of combat, I once again could stay focused. I looked back. While we held the line, the priests, druids and shamans were tending to the fallen Argent Dawn. Suddenly we heard a yell:

"Ready! Aim! Fire!"

A volley of shells whistled above our heads and struck a towering infernal, causing the torso to crack and splinter. I looked back. A squadron of tauren sharpshooters had arrived, and they were already loading their guns for the next volley. The reinforcements had arrived, and now was the time to break the tide. I found myself screaming:

"Wipe out dese lapdogs of demons! Destroy de harbringers of de Burning Legion!"

Aided by the now-rejuvenated Argent Dawn, we fought our way up the steps. Magics of all kinds still rained on our backs. Comrades fell on every side. But step by step, we got closer to the portal. And when we reached the top platform they.. simply scattered. The demons were left to tend for themselves as the remnants of the defending force jumped off and scurried away to all directions.

But the demons kept coming. We could not falter for a moment. Weave, aim, throw. Weave, aim, throw. They fell as soon as they arrived, but still they kept coming. Wounds kept reopening, blades kept dulling and each blast of arcane seemed weaker than the one before it. Sounds of guns slowly quieted down. And then.. I felt the all-too-familiar taste of my own blood in my mouth. I fell from the top, and the last image I remember was the grinning face of a human.

I came back to my senses a few hours later. The fighting had quieted down, but I could still hear the demons. And.. laughter. Accompanied by elven words. Did we lose? I looked around. There were more corpses here than before. Trolls, tauren, undead. And many orcs. Way too many. This battle was lost for now. Nothing more could be gained here. I stayed down and waited for a proper moment. And then.. I ran.

Year of the Fel Fire

The year had seen scarring wars and desperate pledges for peace. Heroes were forged in the battlefield. The same heroes were unmade and corrupted. And the state of things was shown to me with more clarity than I wanted.

Corruption was spreading everywhere. Any attempts of redemption were proven futile. Victims of old forgotten crimes were still being dug up. Madmen ruled nations. Justice was what the wretched did to the innocent. Peace was just the calm before the storm. Freedom was the freedom to kill as many as you could. The Light was a blessing bestowed to the most wretched murderers. Valor was measured in the blood of the innocents.

The first hours of the new year showed the shape of things to come. Carnage had become the ultimate goal. Massacre was an end, not a means. There was no room left for ambiguity. Their words of venom betrayed their true goals. It was time for a new invasion, and new harbringers of destruction had been chosen. Names such as Gul'dan and Ner'zhul were being replaced by new names. Staghelm. Bronzebeard. Fordragon. Mekkatorque. But this time there would be four instead of one. This time even the Magus would be powerless. No words of wisdom would be heard. No last-minute truces, no valiant comrades in arms, no selfless sacrifices.

The path is once again set. The sickly green flames of the future were all too clear. The new year would be decisive. The year where the Fel Fire would once again fall from the skies to consume all.

And may Shadra's web catch us, should we fail.