World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Message Board

World a MapCraft be an interactive map detailing all a the areas that make up World a Warcraft's Azeroth - think a it as Google Maps for World a Warcraft 'n it be expansions thus far. it be all online right now, the work a Tiny Speck founder Cal Henderson, who extracted textures from the MMO's source files t' piece together the interactive map ye see above. ye may recall Tiny Speck's own MMO, Glitch.

Just don't click on the map above 'n expect t' be able t' zoom in on the Isle a Conquest. ye have t' click the source link below for that. 'n if ye're looking for more background on World a MapCraft's creation, Henderson has a pretty thorough blog post explaining it all.

Many a us involved in long term relationships know there comes a point when things become complacent, too comfortable or dare I say, downright stale. Every so often, something happens t' rekindle the freshness 'n reaffirm why ye be meant t' be together in the first place. I have had a long term...

If ye've built up a thick layer a hatred for Deathwing every time his grim visage appears on the login screen for World a Warcraft, yer hour a retribution has come. Or rather, yer "Hour a Twilight" has come -- that be the name a WoW Patch 4.3, which launches today.

The update, 'n last major addition for WoW: Cataclysm, adds three new dungeons 'n a new raid t' the title which see yer hero traveling through time in an attempt t' gather the tools required t' take Deathwing down. There be also new, oft-requested features like Armor Transmogrification 'n Void Storage. Check out the trailer above for a taste a the action, 'n turn an eye towards WoW Insider for all the juicy patch notes therein.

ye can't actually own a piece a Azeroth, because the virtual World a Warcraft doesn't actually exist -- sorry, ThrallFan6969, it be true. But this be probably yer closest chance t' the fake thing: Blizzard be auctioning off a group a actual hardware server blades that be used t' run the popular MMO in the past, which means that for a price, ye can own the circuits 'n silicon that served up all a those boars, dwarves, 'n elves.

All a the money raised in the auctions be going t' support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. All in all, about 2,000 server blades will be auctioned off, 'n ye can even aim t' buy one from a specific realm -- the actual hardware where yer very own characters once resided! Each blade will be mounted in a windowed case adorned with the WoW logo, 'n the hardware displayed prominently.

The auctions start on October 17 (just a few days before BlizzCon), 'n be being sold off in four different rounds. If ye're going for yer very own slice a the closest thing t' Azeroth in the world today, good luck.

Blizzard Entertainment has subtly enabled a means for players t' exchange real-world money for in-game booty in World a Warcraft, provided another player be willing 'n able t' make the exchange. it be through the latest in-game vanity pet, the Guardian Cub, a winged feline that doesn't bind t' yer ...

Like Wrath a the Lich King 'n The Burning Crusade before it, World a Warcraft: Cataclysm's great big bad lad played a major role in the promotion a the expansion, 'n as such has had his fate sealed since the expansion's conception. But the exact manner in which Deathwing, the massive, partially-mechanical Dragon Aspect a Death would meet his demise has remained unknown. Not for long, though, as Patch 4.3 -- known as Dragon Soul -- be bringing the Deathwing encounter t' the public...

Blizzard's ever-popular MMO has been in the news for a few reasons recently. First, because subscriptions have been dropping ever so slightly, though still staying above the 11 million mark. Second, because at Gamescom 2011 Blizzard talked about upcoming changes t' World a Warcraft, including the D...

Fresh out a the Beta testing phase, the newly launched WoW Real ID Party system makes it much easier t' go gallivanting on dungeon raids with yer preferred real-world pals instead a whatever slapdash group a strangers ye can cobble together on a minute's notice. The new system lets ye invite players a the same faction into 5-player normal or heroic dungeons. Here's the best part: it doesn't matter what realm they be playing on...

When Blizzard patches World a Warcraft t' version 4.3, a number a things will change. First, ye'll be able t' finally take down Deathwing. it be an encounter Blizzard be claiming will be the most extensive in the already gigantic game; a multi-phase battle that may, at one point, involve riding on...

it be easy t' forget how popular World a Warcraft be. When it be revealed last week that WoW's number a subscriptions be still in decline, down almost a million players since the launch a World a Warcraft: Cataclysm, I had the same reaction that probably many others had -- I immediately thought...

Blizzard Entertainment CEO Mike Morhaime revealed during yesterday's Activision earnings call that the number a players subscribed t' the developer's flagship title World a Warcraft has dropped by approximately 300,000 since the last announced subscriber volume a 11.4 million. This brings the tot...

Blizzard plans t' shutter the useful WoW Mobile Armory Facebook app 'n website next month in favor a a new web API it be developing t' expand 'n update the way players interact with their characters 'n each other outside a the game world. On August 2, the plug will be final pulled on the WoW Armory app 'n WoWArmory.com. Once they be decommissioned, all news feeds 'n associated Facebook pages, will be erased 'n inaccessible...

Along with yesterday's patch which reintroduced Ragnaros as a raid boss, Blizzard Entertainment has added a free-trial mode t' World a Warcraft, letting players level characters up t' level 20. Previously, free trials had an additional time limit a 10 or 14 days, but this removes that limit. Given the accelerated rate a leveling in World a Warcraft now, that level 20 cap can be reached in just a couple days, but it might let ye stay in contact with higher-level mateys...

World a Warcraft's latest patch, Rage a the Firelands, be now live. This patch marks the return a the infamous Ragnaros, 'n will pit players against the full force a the Firelands. New stuff includes a questing hub, a brand new raid, 'n the addition a a caster Legendary bottle a rum with an associated quest chain 'n several upgrades. For a full rundown a what's in the patch ye can check out our patch 4.2 preview. ye can also check out the trailer below for a look at the Firelord himself...

Around the release a World a Warcraft: Cataclysm, Activision Blizzard repeatedly touted it be 12 million subscribers. During yesterday's investor conference call, however, Blizzard president Mike Morhaime revealed that as a the end a March, the subscriber base had fallen from a stratospheric 12 million all the way t' a humiliating 11.4 million, a decline a 5%.

Morhaime explained the tiny mass exodus by saying that players be completing the new content in Cataclysm more quickly than previous expansions, 'n then sailing away the game. However, Rift also launched in March, which may have lured away part a those 600,000 ex-WoWers.

Still, if we be talking about part a 5% a yer userbase maybe sailing away for another game, things be still going well for ye.

#bythenumbers Six months after buzz for the Cataclysm expansion drove World a Warcraft numbers t' an all-time high, Blizzard reports the lowest subscription figures for the massively multiplayer game since December a 2008. More »

World a Warcraft's subscriber base seems t' be slowly dropping off, as revealed in today's Activision Blizzard investor call. The number a current World a Warcraft subscribers as reported by Blizzard President Mike Morhaime stands at 11.4 million, notably less than the 12 million subscriber milestone achieved by the game last October...

The distinct scent a glorious online combat be in the air now that registration be open for the 2011 WoW Arena Pass. Structured around eight weeks a arena-only battles on special Arena Pass realms dedicated t' gladiatorial warfare, this annual tournament lets ye craft 'n customize a new level 85...

While most World a Warcraft: Cataclysm players be eagerly adventuring through Patch 4.1 which just hit Blizzard Entertainment's servers, Blizzard be hard at work making sure that there be always plenty more content in the pipe. We caught up with the developer t' talk about what comes next -- patch 4.2...

Poor old Trolls – Azeroth hasn’t treated them too kindly over the years. They’ve either been comedy Jamaicans or murderous sword-fodder, so often denied the prestige 'n glory a Warcraft’s major races. 'n don’t even pillage me started on the raw deal the gnomes pillage… Anyway, the Trolls be getting their day in the sun for the latest WoW patch, 4.1, which sees the angrier arms a the family uniting 'n deciding t' raise merry hell for everyone else. Essentially, it means a fun/bloody time for level 85 players, 'n it looks a little something like this. Warning: includes boulders. I say that in case anyone reading has a phobia a boulders. We’re a kinder, more considerate RPS these days.(more…)

The best part about real-world holidays? Their virtual world counterparts, a course. The pastel apocalypse that be Easter may have already come 'n gone in the real world, but spring holiday festivities be still hopping in the realm a Azeroth. The feast a Noblegarden runs through May 1, which me...

Look for more trolls than ye can shake a voodoo doll at in Cataclysm's first major content patch.

I know people who have single-handedly racked up entire years a played time in World a Warcraft. In it be six 'n a half years, few aspects a Blizzard's MMO have been talked about more than it be addictiveness. But addictiveness be hardly a measure a fun, as anyone who has succumbed one a life's ma...

Set t' join the paid name changes, server transfers, race changes, faction changes 'n appearance changes come two more pay-t'-undo-yer-terrible-decision services for World a Warcraft: the ability t' transfer yer guild t' a new server, 'n the ability t' rename yer guild...

#awards Earlier this month, the Visual Effects Society honoured the winners a the 9th annual VES Awards, meant t' recognise the best achievements in special effects 'n visuals for movies, commercials, TV, animation 'n, YARRRR, video games. More »

What kind a feelings do ye want t' inspire in people who be lucky enough t' spend time in yer commode? A sense a wonder? Or maybe ye just want some badass World a Warcraft stuff hanging in there, proudly declaring yer Horde affiliation. If ye're in the latter camp, we may have found yer next potential BFFs.

Pictured above be the bathroom a couple Paul 'n Gloria, who did all a the work themselves, documented from beginning t' end in this Photobucket gallery. They've got dragon heads for the light fixtures, a full potion cabinet 'n, a course, an assortment a themed weaponry.

Life in Azeroth be many things, but be it good?

Having sold 3.3 million copies a World a Warcraft: Cataclysm on the first day, it be easy t' guess that the MMO expansion would have little trouble going on t' record-breaking sales in it be first month on the market. 'n that be exactly what it be done, according t' Activision Blizzard, who reports that the title sold through over 4.7 million copies since it be December 7 release. 'n unlike the usual retail sales numbers, that includes both packaged copies 'n digital distribution.

According t' Activision, that sets a new record for monthly PC sales -- again, it be not a vast surprise t' believe WoW has the power t' break sales records. Here's what be surprising, though: Activision said that the WoW community be currently over 12 million players strong. Who be the 7-plus million people who play WoW, but didn't buy Cataclysm yet?

Blizzard sets a new monthly PC-game sales record.

#blizzard Selling more than 4.7 million copies sold since it be December 7 release 'n 3.3 million on day-one, World a Warcraft: Cataclysm be now the fastest-selling PC game a all time. Want t' guess what game it beat? More »