AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!

Avengers Assemble! Transmogrify your own superhero team

by Anne Stickney  May 10th 2012 at 5:30PM

Transmogrification isn't just for making your character pretty or wearing old sets. Where's the fun in that? There are thousands of pieces to choose from for your look, and there's no reason you can't make it a distinctive one -- paying homage to video games or popular comics is just as much fun as being pretty.

Today, we've got an iconic foursome of characters who have been staples in Marvel comics for decades and recently made a smashing success with the film The Avengers. ThoughWarcraft's armor doesn't contain exact replica's of Ironman's iconic armor or Captain America's easily recognizable shield, you can still use transmogrification to compile a look that screams Marvel Comics. Just because the Hulk doesn't wear anything more than a pair of pants in the comics doesn't mean we can't capture his look through some well-placed camouflage. And even though we can't get our hands on Mjolnir, there are more than enough warhammers lying around to find a good replica.

Iron Man

Iron Man is all about the metal look and is therefore a plate set. Though there are a few green random drop items, the majority of this look can be crafted, making it pretty easy to put together.

• Head For the helm, look for the Bloodforged Helmet.
• Shoulders Ask your local blacksmith to whip you up a set of Runic Plate Shoulders.
• Back Iron Man doesn't wear a cape, so you can turn that cloak graphic off for this look.
• Chest Have your local blacksmith craft a Ragesteel Breastplate for you.
• Shirt For the shirt, you'll want to locate a tailor who can make you a Bright Yellow Shirt.
• Wrists Bracers will be covered by your gloves, so you don't need to worry about swapping their look.
• Hands The Ragesteel Gloves can also be crafted by your local blacksmith.
• Waist For the belt, keep an eye out for the Commander's Girdle.
• Legs Keep your eyes peeled for the Hyperion Legplates, which complement this look perfectly.
• Feet The boots shown here are the Lavawalker Greaves, which can be found on Maleki the Pallid in Stratholme.
• Weapon Iron Man doesn't really use a traditional weapon, so we have to improvise with his look. Generally speaking, you'll want to find something with either a red or yellow glow -- the brighter, the better. Shown here is the Swiftsteel Bludgeon, a one-handed mace that can be picked up from trash mobs in Black Temple.

The Hulk

So how do you take an iconic character like the Hulk, who is known for stomping around in nothing but a pair of pants, and create something that looks like him, yet includes all armor that must be displayed on a Warcraft character? Answer: Creative layering and starting out as an orc. While other races can certainly put this cloth set together, it really isn't going to look like the Hulk unless you've got the green skin to go with it! Goblins can also pull off this layered look, although the end results are more likely to be comical than superheroic.

• Head Turn off your helm graphic for this look -- and if your character doesn't have black hair, head to the local barbershop and get a dye job.
• Shoulders We're looking to layer green on green here, so keep your eyes peeled for thePads of the Venom Spider. Alternatively, Mistyreed Shoulderpads will do in a pinch, but we're really going for a smooth sillhouette here.
• Back The Hulk doesn't wear a cape, so you can turn off the graphic for this look.
• Chest For green on green, you'll want to find a Willow Vest.
• Wrists The Hulk's iconic colors are green and purple, so we're going to use a few pieces from a green and purple set. Look for the Eldr'naan Bracelets.
• Hands For hands, you'll want to find the Eldr'naan Gloves.
• Waist For the belt, we're going with the flat purple look of the High Councillor's Sash.
• Legs The legs are perhaps the trickiest part. You'll want to keep your eyes peeled for a pair of Darkweave Breeches, which are the perfect shade of purple.
• Feet The Eldr'naan Boots aren't only purple and green, but they've also got an open toe, giving the illusion of not really being footwear at all.
• Weapon Hulk smash, not carry weapon! But if you're putting this cloth set together, you're likely carting around a staff. The Desecrated Staff looks a bit like a large tree trunk, something the Hulk would pick up and smash other things with.

Thor

Thor is easily identifiable by two things: his hammer and his winged helm. Luckily, we've got a good plate replica for one of those things and a plethora of stone hammers for the other.

• Head This winged helm is the Brilliant Titansteel Helm. Check with your local blacksmith to see if he can whip one up for you.
• Shoulders Thor is also wearing a set of Runic Plate Shoulders, crafted by blacksmiths. The red shoulders mimic the drape of Thor's cape.
• Back For Thor's blazing red cloak, farm up a Cloak of the Gushing Wound from Erekem in The Violet Hold; you'll need to farm it on heroic mode.
• Chest Keep your eyes peeled for Revenant Armor.
• Wrists Bracers will be covered by your gloves, so you don't need to worry about swapping their look.
• Hands Thor doesn't traditionally wear gloves, but we certainly need them on ourWarcraft characters. Look for the Glorious Gauntlets, which play off of Thor's golden boots.
• Waist For the belt, keep an eye out for the Glorious Belt.
• Legs For legplates, we're going to go back to the Revenant set and pick up a pair ofRevenant Legguards.
• Feet Thor's golden boots are the Glorious Sabatons.
• Weapon For a good two-handed mace option that mimics Mjolnir, look for the Stone Hammer.

Captain America

Captain America is easily the hardest character to find a look for, largely because his look is based around three distinct colors and the stars of the American flag. Warcraft gear isn't exactly crawling with star emblems, so instead, we have to make do simply matching up the colors and the sillhouette of the character.

• Head Captain America's helm is a really smooth sillhouette with a capital A. We can't really nab that in game. However, his helm also has wings, so we're going to go with the Brilliant Titansteel Helm again. Check with your local blacksmith and see if he can whip one up for you. Alternatively, if you'd rather have a smooth helm, look for theJouster's Visor.
• Shoulders For the shoulders, look for a blacksmith to craft you a set of Imperial Plate Shoulders.
• Back Captain America doesn't need a cape, so you can turn that graphic off!
• Chest Keep your eyes peeled for the Jouster's Chestplate.
• Shirt For the shirt, you'll want to locate a tailor who can make you a White Swashbuckler's Shirt.
• Wrists Bracers will be covered by your gloves, so you don't need to worry about swapping their look.
• Hands The red gloves shown here are Ragesteel Gloves, which can also be crafted by your local blacksmith.
• Waist For the belt, keep an eye out for the Commander's Girdle.
• Legs For the legs, you'll want a set of Jouster's Legplates.
• Feet For the boots, head to Ahn'Qiraj and farm up a pair of the Boots of Redeemed Prophecy from the Prophet Skeram.
• Shield Captain America is known for his shield -- and there's a ton of different shields in Warcraft to choose from. Though some may prefer going with a circular shield, I liked the colors of the Demon Guard pictured above. It features red, white, and just a hint of blue. However, you can certainly hunt down another shield if you like!
• Weapon Captain America doesn't really have a weapon to speak of. Preferably, you'll want to find a weapon that sheathes on the back so it's relatively hidden unless in use, such as the Ginn-Su Sword or the Heavy Copper Longsword.

These are just four of the many, many superheroes out there in the comics world. There are plenty more to choose from, and we've only just begun! Since all of these sets are male-oriented, next time we'll be looking at the female side of superheroes and bringing some more super fun sets.

Original Link: http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/10/avengers-assemble-transmogrify-your-own-superhero-team/

G4: Diablo 3: Top 8 Tips You Need To Know

For those of us playing Diablo 3, some great tips to make your gaming experience more enjoyable.

Original Link: http://www.g4tv.com/videos/58576/diablo-3-top-8-tips-you-need-to-know/

Video Game - E3 2012 - Diablo 3

Cross-Realm Zones Coming to Beta

Original Post: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/5393667/Cross-Realm_Zones_Coming_to_Beta-5_10_2012

In the World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria beta, we’re introducing a new technology that will enable players to meet up and group with other players in under populated areas of the world such as low level zones or areas that other players may have outleveled or moved on from. This technology will allow players to form a group with other players from within a select pool of realms in order to quest just like they normally would while still allowing the social structures of their home realms to remain intact.

F.A.Q.

Q. Why cross-realm zones?
For many years now, the significant majority of the player population online at any given time has consisted mostly of characters at or near the level cap.  This has resulted in an environment where characters that are leveling up experience a world that has fewer other players to interact with than what the world was designed for. Cross-realm zones give us the capability to ensure that level-up zones retain a population size that feels more like the high level areas of the game, leading to a more fun play experience for characters of all levels.

Q. How do cross-realm zones work?
When you’re in a zone that is set as a ‘cross-realm zone’ you’ll notice that in addition to the players you’d ordinarily see from your realm, you’ll also see (and be able to play with) players from other realms.  This will happen seamlessly, and players will be able to group and quest as they normally would with players from their own realm.

Q. How will this work on boats or zeppelins?
Usually transitions will occur on area boundaries (think moving from Darkshore to Ashenvale). 

Q. Can I form groups with the people I meet in the zone?
Yes! You can group and talk to others within the cross-server zone normally though trading will be restricted much as it is within raids, dungeons, or battlegrounds.

Q. Will my cross-realm group be disbanded if we move on to an adjacent zone together, like from Goldshire to Westfall or from Thousand Needles to Feralas?
Much like how cross-realm groups currently work, your party won’t be disbanded when you move through different zones, though if you’re not in the same home realm, you won’t be able to see each other if you’re  in separate zone instances.

Q. Will I be able to group with my friends?
Yes, you will be able to group with your Real ID friends, provided they are within the same faction. The functionality works the same as it does for cross-realm dungeons, raids, or Battlegrounds.

Q. What level range do my friends and I have to be within in order to group?
There is no restriction on level ranges. You’ll be able to group with anyone you would normally be able to.

Q. Can I go into main capital cities while grouped with others?
Capital cities and areas with regularly high populations will not be set as cross-server areas/zones so you will not be able to enter into the same instance of a city as someone who is from a different realm.

Q. Will I be able to trade with others I meet?
Trading restrictions are in place much the same as they are in cross-realm dungeons, raids, and battlegrounds.

Q. How is group loot handled?
Group looting will function the same as it would with any group you would create through normal play.

Q. Who will I be playing with?
You’ll be able to interact with players from within a select pool of realms which will make it possible to run into a player in Redridge that you already ran into within Westfall.

Q. What areas will be shared?
This can vary from realm to realm and relies on how densely populated (or underpopulated) an area is. Capital cities and areas with regularly high populations will not be eligible for area sharing.

Q. What about resources or gathering nodes, will those be shared too?
Resources and nodes will be available to all parties within the shared area the same as always. We will be keeping a close eye on the impact of area sharing and should an area become too populated, we are capable of adjusting how many realms are able to connect to a shared area.

Q. Does this mean that Auction Houses will be merged?
No, when any player access an Auction House, they will be only able to access their home realm’s Auction House.

Q. What about zones that are already overpopulated, like new race starting zones?
With this technology, we can also flag zones to allow for more than one copy of that zone per realm. Players on that realm will be split among those copies in order to alleviate problems due to overpopulation.  Players won’t normally see or interact with those on a different instance of their zone, although joining a party will relocate all party members to a single instance of that zone.

Q. How will this work for PvP vs. PvE realms? Will these realm types be shared?
No. Realm types will be matched with like realm types. So if you’re on a PvE realm, you’ll only be matched with other PvE realms. The same rules will apply for matching RP realm types and will be restricted to matching RP-PvP with RP-PvP and RP-PvE with RP-PvE. We plan to keep an eye on constructive feedback while testing this new technology.

Q. How will RID groups work? Which realm type would we play on?
If you group up with somebody from a different rule type (via RealID for example) and go into a cross-realm zone you’ll be on the ruleset for that player’s realm type. So, if you’re on a PvP realm and a friend joins your group from a PvE realm and enters a cross-realm zone, the group will be in one of the PvP realm clusters and will use the PvP realm ruleset.

TAKING YOUR TOON TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

If you're not transmogging already, why not? Blizzard has recently opened up a whole new world of customization for World of Warcraft players. Basically, if you'll pardon the pun, giving each player the ability to infuse their characters with some WoW factor. Check out these great links for more information, and some pretty extensive guides that take a lot of the guesswork out of your customized build. They're pretty great!

http://wowroleplaygear.com/

http://www.icy-veins.com/transmogrification

Transmogrified Screenshot Gallery

http://www.warcraftsets.com/

Self Service Item Restoration

We’ve recently deployed a new system that allows World of Warcraft players to recover items that they mistakenly sold, destroyed, or disenchanted: Battle.net Item Restoration. With this new self-service option, the recovery of such items is fast and easy.

This restoration option may only be used once every 30 days on active World of Warcraft accounts that are in good standing. With items that were accidentally disenchanted, the new system can be used to request a review by Customer Support for restoration. As this option has a limited availability and use, we still encourage caution when selling, deleting, or disenchanting items.

You can read all about this new service in our detailed support article: Battle.net Item Restoration.

Original Link: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/5245474/Self_Service_Item_Restoration-5_1_2012

Bringing Achievements to the Account Level

We recently added account-level changes to achievements in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, and there’s still a lot of work left before we’re done. The plan here is to illustrate the intent behind our design, which should in turn help you figure out the answers to many of your questions.

Overall, we never want you to play Character A instead of Character B because of achievement concerns. If Character A had the Violet Proto-Drake, then you might not play Character B. If Character A was only one holiday away from the Violet Proto-Drake, then you may not play Character B. If Character A had completed most of the raid achievements from Dragon Soul, you may not want to bring Character B for one fight and miss out on the achievement. Having alts is cool and working on achievements is cool, but we don’t want the two systems to work against each other.

This goal is paramount and drives everything else. If we allowed you to earn extra achievement points from completing an achievement on two different characters, then you might only want to play the character with the most points and you’d feel like you had to grind through all the achievements with every alt, thus defeating the purpose of having account-level achievements.

Most achievements are account-wide

This means you only earn the points once. If you have earned an achievement on one character, you can see it on all your characters. However, and this is important, you will still see the achievement toast (the pop-up notification) if a second or subsequent character completes the achievement. We think it’s still important to recognize milestones like reaching level 80, maxing out a profession, or killing a raid boss for the first time. It's fun to have everyone congratulate you when you get the toast. Nonetheless, this will just be a new character of yours completing the achievement that you’ve already earned on your account. You won’t double up on points.

Most criteria are not account-wide

If you start an achievement on one character, you can't then finish the achievement on another (there are exceptions, so please keep reading). We didn't think it made sense for one character to get level 60 and another to get level 20 and then see the "level 80" achievement toast. If you start to explore Thousand Needles on one character, you’ll probably want to finish that achievement on the same character.

Some achievements are "meta achievements."

These are achievements that require you to get other specific achievements. An infamous example is "What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been." These achievements generally ARE account-wide. If one character earned Noble Gardener and another character earned The Flame Warden, then your account would get Long Strange Trip. (Otherwise it would be weird: it would look as if you had the sub-achievements, but you wouldn't have the meta-achievement). Even though you need Explore Thousand Needles on one character, all of your characters can contribute to Explore Kalimdor.

A few achievements are account-only.

There are two categories of account-only achievements. One is achievements that are not possible to earn on one character. If we made an achievement to level every class to level 90, it would be account-only. (I'm not sure we will, but it's a good example.) The other category are achievements that are just brutal to complete on one character (and you’d never want to do for multiples), such as 2500 daily quests or 250K honorable kills. In these cases, the cumulative work of all your characters on those criteria will count.

We hope that rewards granted from achievements (pets, mounts, titles, and tabards) will be shared at the account level.

 I'm not going to promise this yet, because a lot of magic has to happen for that to work, but it's our intent. We have discussed having a character level requirement for some rewards, so that your level-2 gnome couldn’t walk around with the “Defender of a Shattered World” title just because your level-90 shaman earned it. If the gnome made it to level 80, though, you could proudly show off your title. You also won’t be able to use a faction-specific pet, mount, or title on the wrong faction. The achievement wouldn’t go away -- you just wouldn’t be able to show it off on that character. There are probably additional exceptions and details we’ll find as we dig deeper into the system.

This is the kind of system that will evolve over time, and we don’t think this has to be the way achievements work forever. As beta players start experimenting with it and offering feedback, I am certain that we will end up making even more changes.

Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street is Lead Systems Designer for World of Warcraft. He loves you very, very much. Yes, you.

Original Link: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/5367158/Bringing_Achievements_to_the_Account_Level-5_8_2012

WoW Insider: A beginner's guide to getting started in WoW Lore

Original Link: http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/a-beginners-guide-to-getting-started-in-wow-lore/

Truth is, I enjoy World of Warcraft's lore, which is why I write about it for the site alongsideAnne Stickney. But I understand why a setting that's been around since the original Warcraft: Orcs vs. Humans can be daunting to new people trying to understand what's going on. Why does the human king have scars on his face, and why is this orc with giant tusks on his shoulders so upset about everything? Never fear, it's really not all that complicated. Here, we're going to discuss some ways for people who haven't really had a chance to get invested into the lore to start figuring out who those people are and what they're on about.

My first suggestion to you is, when you're playing WoW, start clicking on books. There are books all over the game world, in various dungeons, out in the open, hidden away in corners in inns and cities. If you see one, click on it. Hidden in all these books are stories about the world of Azeroth. You can get surprisingly caught up on the basics just via this exercise. Also try to click on plaques on statues and in structures. The statues in front of Stormwind have small plaques on them that tell you exactly who these are statues of and why they were placed there.

Second, you can always come to us for help. Between the four people who've written Know Your Lore since its inception, we have quite a few essays for you to read through. We've collected many of them on a lore guide that we keep updated. In addition to that, Anne has compiled a chronological guide to Warcraft lore media here that's well worth your time. We also run The Queue, where our staff will be happy to answer lore questions or forward them, and in addition to all that, we discuss a lot of lore-related questions on the WoW Insider Show, and we'd be happy to answer yours as well. We're more than happy to discuss game lore with you any time.

There's also the expanded universe section of the official World of Warcraft site to consider. Not only is it home to the leader short stories Blizzard has been producing, but it contains ahistory of the Warcraft setting and links to the Warcraft tie-in comics, manga and novels as well for ease of purchase. It even preserves short stories previously posted on the site. It's a solidly organized central location for you to branch out.

While you're at it, you should also consider playing the previous Warcraft games. At the very least, you can still purchase Warcraft III at the Blizzard site. It still holds up very well for a game that's more than a decade old, and its story cutscenes explain the world just before and during the Third War. Blizzard does a lot toward making its game settings approachable, and you can definitely make good use of the resources on that site.

Once you've gone through that, don't forget other resources. Blizzard's tie-in media was mentioned above both in Anne's chronological guide and the Blizzard site itself, but please remember that those books and comics and manga exist. Also, don't forget sites likeBlizzplanet and Scrolls of Lore, which love to discuss in extreme detail all the nuts and bolts of World of Warcraft and its story. Also, there are wikis online like WoWwiki and WoWpediathat go into detail, and you can spend a lot of time browsing their pages. (I know I have.)

Hopefully, this will get you started on discovering the story behind why Deathwing hates Stormwind so much, who that Arthas guy was and why everyone was so upset with him, or why Alexstrasza dresses like that. If you figure out that last part, let me know.