Blizzard posted a new Wallpaper featuring the Pirate Day 2010 which kicks in on Sunday, September 19th at 3:00am (server time) and ends on Monday, September 20th at 3:00am. As a reminder, Brewfest starts that very same Monday.

Captain Demeza sails to the goblin town of Booty Bay and recruits land-lovers into her buccaneer ranks. Visit her on her or her henchmen in the capital cities if the pirate's life is for you! (You can find Captain Demeza at the top of the Bank roof near the Horde flightmaster in Booty Bay.

Download the wallpaper in any of the different sizes available here.

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Blizzard has released a sneak peek preview of the Worgen and Troll Druid Bear and Cat forms. They look really kick@$$!



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Blizzard posted a new wallpaper featuring the upcoming Harvest Festival seasonal world event which starts on September 16-23. If memory doesn't fail me, this wallpaper features a farm from World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Western Plaguelands is 90% restored from the Scourge's plague. Only one of the farms is in possession of the Scourge. All other farms have been retaken by Humans. Happy Harvest Festival.

Download the wallpaper in any of the available sizes here.

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Ghostcrawler talks about the changes done to the Holy Paladin in Cataclysm to explain why the design overhaul is more appealing and useful than what we have had throughout Wrath of the Lich King. My main is a Holy Paladin 5754 Gearscore. I do agree at this point all I do is spam Holy Light, and throw a Holy Shock for emergencies (instead of Flash of Light) when it is not on cooldown.

I rarely go out of mana using macros to trigger both trinkets and Divine Illumination whenever I cast Holy Light. Judgment of Wisdom helps to recover mana. Additionally, one benefit of Blood Elves is the racial ability Arcane Torrent which adds an additional 2000 mana on top of Divine Plea (I got both bound to a macro). I rarely have to drink and can continue to spam the expensive Holy Light without much of a worry.

Personally, I would love to keep my Holy Paladin the way it is, and probably share the "if it is not broken, don't fix it" mantra. However, I am open-minded to see new things. The developers feel the class needs an overhaul. Obviously, spamming Holy Light or to be the only healing class that doesn't need to worry about going /oom wasn't intended.

As a shadow priest, I manage to use more spells, and follow a rotation, in contrast with what I do with the Holy Paladin. It's fun I guess to try something different than spamming a single button.

Beta testers have the opportunity to play their Holy Paladin and get used to the new spell mechanics. Get a hang to it, test it up and offer your feedback. These changes are not permanent. Your valuable feedback will help reshape the Holy Paladin in Cataclysm for everyone else. Make sure to provide constructive feedback (US forums) rather than QQ or disrespectful input.

	Blizzard Quote:
	We just don't agree that it worked. What generally happened was either the set bonuses, glyphs and librams all aligned to make either Flash of Light the best spell or Holy Light. In rare cases we got lucky and paladins could choose to gear either for a FoL or HL spam, but they were still choosing one spell over the other. They really weren't using a particular spell for a particular job, so the toolbox felt small and they were hitting the same buttons all the time. I can almost promise you that a Holy paladin in Cataclysm will use Holy Shock, Word of Glory, Flash of Light, Holy Light, Divine Light, Holy Radiance and Light of Dawn on every challenging dungeon or raid run. That sounds a lot more fun than spamming Holy Light with the occasional Holy Shock on cooldown.

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It's September 3, 2010. Set your clocks: T-minus 49 days. BlizzCon is closer than you may think. It's just around the corner. If you are one of those fans who love conventions and cosplay, and plan to come dressed as a World of Warcraft, Starcraft II or Diablo III character then listen up and take action.

Blizzard just announced registrations for BlizzCon Contests have begun! You can now submit a registration for the Costume Contest, Dance Contest, Fan Art Contest and Machinima Movie Contest. Winners will be announced at BlizzCon for the last two, but you gotta have to perform live your best WoW race dancing, or come with the most uber costume.

	Blizzard Quote:
	Signups are now open for the BlizzCon 2010 Costume and Dance contests! Eligible entrants are invited to strut their stuff live on stage, with the festivities being hosted by our master of ceremonies, comedian Jay Mohr. You have until October 4 to sign up for the live contests, and you must sign up online if you want to participate. With over $25,000 in prizes for our Friday night contests, this is one you don't want to miss. Speaking of which, submissions for the Fan Art, Original Song, and Movie contests close in less than a month on September 27, so if you haven't entered yet, you'd better get cracking! If you aren't attending BlizzCon you can still check out these contests, all panels and tournaments, and even receive extra goodies including the "Deathy" World of Warcraft in-game pet by purchasing a BlizzCon 2010 Virtual Ticket.

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Sighs ... nostalgia. Back in the day, Blizzard Entertainment and a russian company named Animation Magic were developing a game titled Warcraft Adventures. It was a some sort of cinema/sprite-animated interactive game. I don't know how to describe it, but if you are familiar with Dragon's Lair, you got a better idea.

The game was slated for Q4 1997, then moved to the end of 1998. It was highly sought by many Warcraft fans, but Blizzard executives and developers decided to cancel the game because it didn't meet the Blizzard quality standards.

Still many fans would have loved to play the game, as is, for memorabilia's sake. I've read people online say they wish they could pay for the game someday as is, but that's highly improbable. For those new to what the Warcraft Adventures game was, keep reading. I added a few screenshots and two gameplay videos. Continue Reading & Comment >>

Blizzard Entertainment will have a few representatives answering questions to PAX 2010 attendees. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty will be playable at the NVIDIA booth.

Sadly, the Diablo III demo won't be showcased at PAX, but if you are heading to BlizzCon at least you will have a more updated demo version than the one shown in previous events.

PAX 2010 kicks off through September 3-5 in Downtown Seattle, Washington. The uber bad news for you is if you didn't buy a PAX ticket, don't even waste your time walking to the front door because ALL tickets were sold out on August 28. There won't be ticket sales at the front door.

Some of the PAX 2010 locations have been moved to a different place, so check out the official PAX website and read the 08/04/2010 update for instructions. Continue Reading & Comment >>

Beta testers are up for a treat. Daelo informed the Lost City of the Tol'vir is now available for testing. It's a level 85 Uldum dungeon. There's a temporary entrance in the central area of the zone, a bit northeast. All feedback should be submitted to the developers here.

The Halls of Origination is a level 85 dungeon. The entrance can be found inside the large pyramid to the east of Uldum. Feedback may be submitted here.

the Vortex Pinnacle is a level 82-84 dungeon in Uldum. Its entrance is to the southern coast of Uldum high in the air so you need a flying mount. The entrance is disabled for the moment, but you can LFG to the Vortex Pinnacle to access the dungeon. When you die there, your character will be teleported to Dalaran -- this is temporary until they add a placeholder NPC to teleport you back to Uldum. All feedback should be post here. Continue Reading & Comment >>

SwagDog will launch its newest World of Warcraft customized Class Icon t-shirt collection this Friday, September 3rd, and wants you to show how well you know your character classes.

Blizzard will post two questions every weekday on the Warcraft Twitter page about a random character class. For each of the ten class questions, Blizzard will select five winners. The prize is a SwagDog Class Icon custom t-shirt featuring re-imagined designs of your favorite class emblems.

To learn more about this contest and how to participate, check out the full contest rules for details and eligibility.

• Contest Rules
  
• Warcraft Twitter page
  
• SwagDog website

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Blizzard added a new wallpaper featuring the fight for the Ruby Sanctum, the new Wrath of the Lich King dungeon within the Wyrmrest Temple in Dragonblight.

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As reported a few days ago, Blizzard Entertainment launched a museum expo in Taiwan titled "Flights, & Frights - Inside The Storm". A fan named ddsnet posted on Flickr hundreds of photos from his visit to this exhibition for the less fortunate who couldn't attend it.

The exhibition consists of concept art of Starcraft and Starcraft II, Diablo II and Diablo III, Warcraft III and World of Warcraft. You can also see the prototype sculptures of the Diablo III Overthrown diorama, the Tychus Findlay diorama, the new Starcraft II action figures, and World of Warcraft action figures.

Those who participated in past Blizzard Fan Artwork Contests should update their resumes. What's better than winning Blizzard's Fan Art Contest? Earning the zomg opportunity to get your artwork exhibited in an international museum.

Browse through hundreds of photos of this exhibition here.

Thanks, Flux Continue Reading & Comment >>

Blizzard released new content to the Cataclysm beta and wish beta testers to submit feedback. Uldum quests start at the southwestern Tanaris by the caravan.

Twilight Highlands is finally ready for testing. Go to Garrosh or Varian for the initial Twilight Highlands quests.

Quests for Thousand Needles may be found in Dustwallow Marsh and Feralas.

Felwood quests have been introduced at the Emerald Circle quest hub.

• Uldum (level 83-84)
  
• Deepholm (Reliquary and Explorer's League)
  
• Twilight Highlands (level 84-85)
  
• Thousand Needles (level 40-45)
  
• Felwood (level 45-50)

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Blizzard will release a new beta patch with an enhanced version of the recently released Streaming Beta Launcher. This new launcher will have better download speeds, detailed peer-to-peer connection info and bandwith detection.

	Blizzard Quote:
	We recently released a new Cataclysm beta launcher that allows you to stream game data while you play. We've received a lot of feedback from you regarding this new feature, and that feedback has allowed us to improve the player experience significantly. In the next beta patch, you'll receive a new Cataclysm beta launcher that includes several updates to in-game streaming. Here's a quick preview of some of the upcoming changes: Improved three-stage progress bar Download speed improvements Detailed peer-to-peer connection information Bandwidth detection, which will improve the play experience of those with low bandwidth New UI with a Cataclysm-inspired theme Many bug fixes We encourage you to continue posting your feedback about the streaming launcher, as we're constantly looking for ways to get you into the game faster and more smoothly.

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Fall 2010 World of Warcraft T-shirts are available to stock up your three-days BlizzCon trip in style based on your favorite MMO game. Want more design options? No problem check out the entire collection here.

World of Warcraft Paladin Legendary Class T-Shirt $19.99 - $22.99

World of Warcraft Frostmourne Hungers T-Shirt $19.99 - $21.99

World of WarCraft Murhol Pop Art T-Shirt $19.99 - $21.99

World of Warcraft Fear Hogger T-Shirt $19.99 - $22.99

World of Warcraft Pandaren Brewmaster Premium Tee $21.99 - $22.99

World of Warcraft Death Knight Legendary Class T-Shirt $19.99 - $22.99

World of WarCraft Rune T-Shirt $19.99 - $22.99

World of WarCraft Rune Zip-up Hoodie $39.99 - $41.99

World of Warcraft Horde Spray Zip-up Hoodie $39.99 - $41.99

World of Warcraft Alliance Spray Zip-up Hoodie $39.99 - $41.99

World of WarCraft Murloc Face Youth Tee $17.99

World of WarCraft Mark of the Wild Flexfit Hat $22.99

World of Warcraft Fear Hogger Premium Tee $21.99 - $22.99

World of Warcraft Pandaren Brewmaster T-Shirt $19.99 - $21.99

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Blizzard Entertainment has several global job openings in USA, Europe and Asia which you can browse at jobs.blizzard.com.

However, there are some critical job openings available that Blizzard Entertainment needs to fill up to continue special projects.

Do you have the skills and the passion to heed call?

Blizzard Entertainment is looking for these critical job openings:

BATTLE.NET

• Lead Designer
  
• Lead Producer
  
• Senior Artist

UNANNOUNCED GAME

• Senior 3D Modeler / Texture Artist
  
• Software Engineer, Tools

WEB MOBILE

• Lead Software Engineer
  
• User Experience Designer

WORLD OF WARCRAFT

• Software Egineer, Server

NEXT-GEN MMO

• Associate Producer
  
• Lead 3D Character Artist
  
• Senior Software Egineer, Tools
  
• Producer, Tools
  
• Senior Producer
  
• Senior Software Engineer, Gameplay
  
• Senior Software Engineer, Gameplay Animation

You can find many more job openings here. Let us know if you got hired thanks to our posting, and please get us some future BlizzCon tix. Continue Reading & Comment >>

Battle.net project director Greg Canessa and technical director Matt Versluys will offer a production track keynote at the upcoming GDC Austin 2010 called Battle.net: A Postmortem.

The event will be held through October 5th-8th at the Austin Convention Center, in Austin, Texas. The keynote schedule is not yet determined.

Speaker/s: Matthew Versluys (Blizzard Entertainment) and Greg Canessa (Blizzard Entertainment)

Day / Time / Location: TBD

Track / Summit: Production

Description: Join Battle.net project director Greg Canessa and Blizzard technical director Matt Versluys as they share lessons learned from building and launching a new online game service that connects and powers all Blizzard titles.

Eligible Passes: All Access Pass, Main Conference Pass Continue Reading & Comment >>

Warcraft lore community fan (Sarahmoo) from 'ScrollsofLore' posted scans from the Games(tm) magazine issue # 99 / August 5, 2010 (a British publication) which interviewed Chris Metzen. It's a good opportunity for some of you to get to know this Blizzard developer more intimately. His early beginnings, before and after joining Chaos Studios (aka Blizzard Entertainment).

In the interview, you will learn how he views his position at Blizzard, what it feels like, his feelings when he's done a mistake, and how he's overcome them. He's learned from those mistakes. He's a geek and a fan like yourself, and he strives to keep everyone happy, and stay true to the lore because as Metzen says: "We don't own Warcraft any more - the fans own Warcraft now." Continue Reading & Comment >>

Blizzard invites fans to watch the North American MLG Raleigh Starcraft II and World of Warcraft tournaments live streams at 2:00 PM PDT, today, Friday August 27 with the Pre-Game Show featuring Day9, JP, HD/Husky, Vhell and Vansilli.

The Starcraft II Tournament Championship Finals will start on Saturday August 28 at 2:30 PM PDT with live commentary by Day9, JP, and Husky.

The MLG World of Warcraft Championship match will start on Saturday August 28 at 4:00 PM PDT and the championship finals on Sunday August 29 at 2:30PM PDT.

For more information about the teams attending, tournament schedule and how to watch the streams, visit http://www.mlgpro.com Continue Reading & Comment >>

Today, we take you to a journey through the all-new Ashenvale after the Cataclysm. Ashenvale is one of the regions of World of Warcraft that have undergone heavy changes to its environment and by consequence most of its quests have disappeared, and replaced by new ones that fit the current times' troubles.

It's astonishing to go there and see all this action going on throughout the place. This early at level 20-25 you can see Warchief Garrosh Hellscream and King Varian Wrynn mean business. The Alliance and the Horde are at full all-out war. Period.

Remember that Alliance camp, Maestra's Post? I have nice memories there from my Night Elf character in closed beta 2004, helping a human paladin named Delgren the Purifier with his quests.

Now it is being assaulted by the Horde. And when I say assaulted -- I mean grunts and a helluva bunch of siege vehicles at Maestra's Post and all over the cliff aiming at the nearby Night Elf building. Hopefully, Delgren did what best a Paladin can do in such an outnumbered and hopeless situation ... [bubble + hearth].





Below you can read my observations from each zone of Ashenvale, and screenshots to accompany the descriptions. Hope you enjoy it! Continue Reading & Comment >>

Tom Chilton was interviewed by Gamespot at GamesCom 2010 to talk about World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Chilton describes the changes done to the Hunter class with focus as its new resource system; why focus instead of energy; why they removed certain stats like penetration and spell power; and their hopes for Mastery to work well.

Gamespot interviewer had a /facepalm moment when he commented to Chilton another studios president said at GDC 2010 that WoW as a franchise have become stalled ... to which Chilton responded with 11.5 million subscribers ... he has to disagree. I think what the interviewer meant is the subscription growth has stalled at 11.5 millions (aka it's not grown beyond that mark in a while).

Chilton denies any foreseeable future plans for World of Warcraft free gameplay model.

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