Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/shaman/” rel=”tag”>Shaman, WoW.joystiq.com/category/analysis-opinion/” rel=”tag”>Analysis / Opinion, WoW.joystiq.com/category/pvp/” rel=”tag”>PvP

Every week, WoW Insider brings you WoW.joystiq.com/category/the-art-of-war-craft/”>The Art of War(craft), covering battlegrounds and world PvP, and WoW.joystiq.com/category/blood-sport/”>Blood Sport, with the inside line for arena enthusiasts. Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women? Battlemaster Zach Yonzon, old-world PvP grinder and casual battleground habitué, rambles on about anything and everything PvP.

Gah. A few more days left, and we’re only on shaman. This can’t be good. Let’s get right to it, then. Shaman are incredibly fun to play, especially with the changes that came with WoW.joystiq.com/tag/patch-4.0.1/”>4.0.1. The improvements on the totem interface in the past have made it much easier for shaman to manage their totems. The best shaman utilize their totems in the heat of battle, and one interesting skill to master is knowing not just which totem to put down for a situation but which sets of totems, now that shaman can drop it down all at once. It’s a convenience that changes a few things. There is also higher survivability, better mobility, and clearly defined playstyles for all three specs.

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-shaman-in-4-0-3/” rel=”bookmark”>Continue reading The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for shaman in 4.0.3

WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider” style=”float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0″ />WoW.joystiq.com/2010/12/05/the-art-of-war-craft-must-have-pvp-talents-for-shaman-in-4-0-3/”>The Art of War(craft): Must-have PvP talents for shaman in 4.0.3 originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/analysis-opinion/” rel=”tag”>Analysis / Opinion, WoW.joystiq.com/category/news-items/” rel=”tag”>News items, WoW.joystiq.com/category/pvp/” rel=”tag”>PvP

Recently, players from the Emberstorm and Whirlwind groups have been noticing that they’re being grouped in the dungeon finder with each other. This isn’t a bug; the matchmaking system has been changed to allow those two battlegroups to be matched into dungeons and BGs with each other as part of the overall goal to eventually merge all battlegroups across a geographical area (think Europe or North America) and allow matchmaking across all of them.

CM Lylirra announced these changes and addressed some bugs to the process that are making it impossible to queue for BGs, which will hopefully be straightened out. Still, bugs aside, the first step of eventually allowing an entire region to be selected from for PvP and PvE seems really exciting to me and very positive overall. Finally, I’ll get to farm all the disparate old friends I have on like 20 servers! A frabjous day, all told.

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW.joystiq.com/cataclysm”>WoW Insider’s Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW’s third expansion (WoW.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/cataclysm-release-date-december-7th/”>available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our WoW.joystiq.com/category/cataclysm”>Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.

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WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider” style=”float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0″ />WoW.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/battlegroup-changes-in-anticipation-of-complete-merger/”>Battlegroup changes in anticipation of complete merger originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/analysis-opinion/” rel=”tag”>Analysis / Opinion, WoW.joystiq.com/category/news-items/” rel=”tag”>News items, WoW.joystiq.com/category/pvp/” rel=”tag”>PvP

Recently, players from the Emberstorm and Whirlwind groups have been noticing that they’re being grouped in the dungeon finder with each other. This isn’t a bug; the matchmaking system has been changed to allow those two battlegroups to be matched into dungeons and BGs with each other as part of the overall goal to eventually merge all battlegroups across a geographical area (think Europe or North America) and allow matchmaking across all of them.

CM Lylirra announced these changes and addressed some bugs to the process that are making it impossible to queue for BGs, which will hopefully be straightened out. Still, bugs aside, the first step of eventually allowing an entire region to be selected from for PvP and PvE seems really exciting to me and very positive overall. Finally, I’ll get to farm all the disparate old friends I have on like 20 servers! A frabjous day, all told.

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW.joystiq.com/cataclysm”>WoW Insider’s Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW’s third expansion (WoW.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/cataclysm-release-date-december-7th/”>available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our WoW.joystiq.com/category/cataclysm”>Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.

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WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider” style=”float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0″ />WoW.joystiq.com/2010/10/27/battlegroup-changes-in-anticipation-of-complete-merger/”>Battlegroup changes in anticipation of complete merger originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The song White and Nerdy probably doesn’t need much introduction. It’s by Weird Al, if you need to look it up. However, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most of our readership has some familiarity with the lyrics. I wouldn’t even be surprised to find out someone has the lyrics tattooed on his or her body. (And if you do, please send pictures.)

Gunther has created a machinima to go along with the song, which makes this a perfect blend of nerdy and White and Nerdy. The upside is that this is a great head start into the world of machinima. The downside is that now I have the song stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

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WoW.com/media/2009/03/britney_moviewatch_l_thumbnail.jpg” alt=”" style=”margin-right: 5px;” />Interested in the wide world of WoW.com/category/machinima/”>machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/”>WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at WoW.com”>machinima@WoW.com.

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Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/” rel=”tag”>WoW Moviewatch

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/WoW-moviewatch-white-and-nerdy/”>WoW Moviewatch: White and Nerdy originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve continued to enjoy Bullworth’s WoW.joystiq.com”>Raid Eats series. It’s fun, quick and a great parody of TV’s Good Eats. While I imagine most folks are aware of the game tricks WoW.joystiq.com/tag/bullworth”>Bullworth puts on display, I’m not sure that’s really the point. The videos are just nice little bite-sized pieces of fun.

In Raid Eats 4, Bullworth is out with his nephew when he’s horrified to find that the boy enjoys McVendors. Of course, this doesn’t sit well with the master of cow cuisine. He takes the boy on a wonderful journey of raid food, including a visit from Nutritionist R. It’s a good addition to the Raid Eats series, though I wonder if we’ll ever see Bullworth’s sister again.

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WoW.com/media/2009/03/britney_moviewatch_l_thumbnail.jpg” />Interested in the wide world of WoW.com/category/machinima/”>machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/”>WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at WoW.com”>machinima@WoW.com.

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Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/” rel=”tag”>WoW Moviewatch

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/09/29/WoW-moviewatch-raid-eats-4/”>WoW Moviewatch: Raid Eats 4 originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We often utter a small sigh of nostalgia as an expansion leaves us. Don’t get me wrong. I am very excited to see a new world and I can’t wait to play Cataclysm. But I have fond memories of my years in Azeroth. I sometimes look back on the way things “used to be” and miss old, familiar faces.

I’ve covered Yesterday’s News by Slashdance before, but as I sit here wondering what the future will be like, I am reminded of the sad story of the dwarf who makes the summoning stones. The summoning stone was once hailed as an innovation that saved immense time and trouble. Now? They’re barely used. This is a fantastic story, and it all sums up how I feel looking forward to Cataclysm. The ability to capture that kind of complex emotion is part of the brilliance of Yesterday’s News, and I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did.

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WoW.com/media/2009/03/britney_moviewatch_l_thumbnail.jpg” />Interested in the wide world of WoW.com/category/machinima/”>machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/”>WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at WoW.com”>machinima@WoW.com.

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Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/” rel=”tag”>WoW Moviewatch

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/10/01/WoW-moviewatch-yesterdays-news/”>WoW Moviewatch: Yesterday’s News originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warning: This episode has a lot of Cataclysm spoilers. Don’t listen if you don’t want to be spoiled!

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/WoW-insider-show-episode-158/” rel=”bookmark”>Continue reading WoW Insider Show Episode 158: Orgrimmar Bar Crawl

Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/podcasts/” rel=”tag”>Podcasts, WoW.joystiq.com/category/WoW-insider-show/” rel=”tag”>WoW Insider Show

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/WoW-insider-show-episode-158/”>WoW Insider Show Episode 158: Orgrimmar Bar Crawl originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Have you been interested in learning how people like Olibith create the amazing visual pieces that they do? Well, Olibith is now working on a series that will give you a guided tour on operating WoW Model Viewer and creating your own machinima. You can find it WoW-model-viewer-olibith-6″>over at GameCreds. If you don’t know Olibith, he’s the guy who did WoW.joystiq.com/2010/03/16/WoW-moviewatch-beware-of-the-baby-b/”>Beware of Baby B. He knows what he’s talking about.

You’ll find this series enlightening on the ways of the mysterious machinimator, especially if you haven’t fired up WoW Model Viewer before. It’s a fascinating look into how WoW.joystiq.com/tag/olibith”>Olibith creates his characters and animates them. I’m looking forward to later entries into the series and am already planning on creating a video using only the techniques Olibith describes.

I hope between Olibith’s guides and WoWcrendor’s WoWdirectors.com”>WoWdirectors.com, we get to see a new wave of machinimators creating WoW films. It’s a unique method of telling fan stories, and it’s always been one of my favorite things about the WoW community. Good luck to everyone who takes this opportunity to learn!

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WoW.com/media/2009/03/britney_moviewatch_l_thumbnail.jpg” alt=”" style=”margin-right: 5px;” />Interested in the wide world of WoW.com/category/machinima/”>machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/”>WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at WoW.com”>machinima@WoW.com.

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Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/machinima/” rel=”tag”>Machinima

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/olibith-writes-guide-to-creating-machinima/”>Olibith writes guide to creating machinima originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been living under a rock where you could never, ever see machinima or fan videos about the World of Warcraft, you might not know the name WoW.joystiq.com/tag/WoWcrendor”>WoWcrendor. For those machinima-less folks, I’ll quickly explain. WoWcrendor is what he calls a “WoW director.” These are the devoted fans who take the time to create movies and machinima based on our hobby. (We have a WoW.joystiq.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/”>column about it here on WoW Insider. I’m just saying.) WoWcrendor’s work is usually especially well received because he consistently manages to nail a funny but loving tone in his videos. He clearly loves both the game and the game’s community, even though they drive him up the wall. I’ve always secretly thought his videos were his way of releasing that anxiety without its blowing his head off via internal combustion.

Well, WoWcrendor also loves machinima. In order to help encourage new directors to join the scene, he’s recently launched WoWdirectors.com/”>WoWdirectors. His basic idea is to provide a place for brand new machinimators to go and learn his craft. While community sites like Myndflame have existed for a while, WoWcrendor is hoping to bring his same sense of basics and story to the scene. He’s building some how-to guides, critiques, and generally trying to get folks together to talk publicly about the machinima hobby.

Check out WoWdirectors and let them know what you think. Knowing the man as I do, I’m sure he’d be thrilled to have your feedback.

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WoW.com/media/2009/03/britney_moviewatch_l_thumbnail.jpg” />Interested in the wide world of WoW.com/category/machinima/”>machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/”>WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at WoW.com”>machinima@WoW.com.

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Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/machinima/” rel=”tag”>Machinima

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/09/23/WoWcrendor-fires-up-his-own-instructional-machinima-website/”>WoWcrendor fires up his own instructional machinima website originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a joke around the WoW Insider offices. Occasionally, we need quick language to describe when we’ve previously seen something. It could be a tip like, “Felicia Day appeared in a Sears commercial,” or, “Onyxia Deep Breathes more.” And the code language we use for that situation is “BLIND.”

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/WoW-moviewatch-craft-of-war-blind-rerun/”>Craft of War: BLIND was actually released a long time ago, but it went on a brief hiatus. When it came back, a bunch of viewers thought it was brand new. Even more notable, however, is the vast skill and talent of Percula. The artwork of BLIND is amazing, and the machinima has stood every test of time. (Even if people like to argue about the music every time BLIND appears.)

So to celebrate the turning of the season, let’s get this out of the way. Here’s BLIND.

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WoW.com/media/2009/03/britney_moviewatch_l_thumbnail.jpg” />Interested in the wide world of WoW.com/category/machinima/”>machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/”>WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at WoW.com”>machinima@WoW.com.

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Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/WoW-moviewatch/” rel=”tag”>WoW Moviewatch

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/09/23/WoW-moviewatch-blind/”>WoW Moviewatch: BLIND originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

WoW.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/WoW-moviewatch-craft-of-war-blind-rerun” />Read | WoW.joystiq.com/2010/09/23/WoW-moviewatch-blind/” rel=”bookmark” title=”Permanent link to this entry”>Permalink | WoW.joystiq.com/forward/19645900/” title=”Send this entry to a friend via email”>Email this | WoW.joystiq.com/2010/09/23/WoW-moviewatch-blind/#comments” title=”View reader comments on this entry”>Comments