Yes, 2004, one of the best years in gaming history is nearly legally old enough to drink. That means we're even older, yes, but it's also cause for celebration.

Let's use this opportunity not to count our gray hairs, but to celebrate so many games that most players don't even realize came out in such a short span of time, so long ago.

11. Burnout 3: Takedown

If you miss the Burnout series, that's likely because of its highest point: Burnout 3: Takedown. Gone are the realistic physics of Gran Turismo, in are the most ridiculously fun car crashing mechanics ever put into a game.

No game before or since has made simply driving as fast as you can, and toppling your opponents in the most spectacular ways as fun as Takedown. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how such a seemingly simple yet multifaceted party series has been dormant for so long.

10. Fable

The original Fable remains one of the best answers to the turn-based RPGs that dominated the gaming landscape back then, as well as the best game in the franchise. There's just no beating Fable when it comes to embarking on a journey to become a hero — or a villain.

There's no denying that, in true Peter Molyneux fashion, Fable underdelivered regarding its original promise, but what we ended up getting was good enough to birth a classic. Also, Molyneux can totally defend himself by claiming it wouldn't be much of a fable if all of his promises were based on hard facts.

9. Ninja Gaiden

This was the original "hard game with good graphics" before Dark Souls claimed that distinction.

You could even argue Ninja Gaiden was harder than Dark Souls because it didn't curse you with limited stamina and was still difficult as all hell. And it was much more than that. Ninja Gaiden remains one of the most thrilling and overall best action games ever made. It's sad to see the series lose its mojo with Ninja Gaiden 3 and see Team Ninja pivoting to difficult games that straight-up mirrored the Souls series.

I love Nioh, but I miss Ninja Gaiden's high-octane type of challenge.

8. Doom 3

Upon release, many were let down by DOOM 3. It wasn't as fun as classic Doom, and it just didn't feature anywhere near the variety of fresh gameplay options available in its contemporary shooters. The people who didn't like it back then now even have the hindsight of saying it paled in comparison with the newer Doom titles, but I think they're just looking at it wrong.

If you're into slow-burn horror, Doom 3 is actually one hell of a game, capable of scaring the crap out of modern players even today.

7. Far Cry

I usually accuse the Far Cry series of being all downhill after the first game, but that's not me being mean. Far Cry 2, Far Cry 3, and Far Cry Instincts are all good games, but the original was just better. Remember the awful "Ubisoft tower" mechanic that plagues all Far Cry titles post-3? Remember the incredibly low enemy variety in most of these games? Well, you can forget all of that here.

The original Far Cry might not feature the open world game design you see in the other entries, but it's such a finely crafted (albeit more linear) gameplay experience that you likely won't even notice you're not as free as in other games. If you have never tried it because it's "old", give it a shot. It's totally worth it.

6. Sid Meier’s Pirates

Do you love Sea Of Thieves, Assassin's Creed Black Flag's best moments, and/or were you hyped by the reveal of Skull and Bones? They all exist because of Sid Meier's Pirates, the first — and still best — pirate life simulator.

If you want to have a lot of fun conquering the high seas, this somewhat underplayed masterpiece is something you should try out, because it feels like it hasn't aged a day.

5. World Of Warcraft

Accuse me of cheating all you want because yeah, World Of Warcraft has never really stopped coming out, but '04 was its first year on this land.

It remains the most successful MMO ever since its release and more than earns it this spot on this list. The fact that it will likely remain that way for the foreseeable future more than earns you the right to complain about me not ranking it even higher.

4. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Yes, it's no surprise that Konami is releasing Metal Gear Solid Delta by early 2025. They know MGS3 is likely the most beloved entry in the franchise, and that big 20-year-old mark is the perfect time to cash in on a masterpiece.

The original MGS pretty much turned the entire video game industry on its head when it came out. MGS3 could've easily surfed on the tsunami it had created and still managed to sell millions and get high critical praise, but that was not enough. MGS3 dared to change the setting completely to tell a new story, and it worked beautifully.

While I'd argue the Subsistence version that came out a short while later is the definitive version of the game because of the superior camera, Snake Eater remains one of the most epic and gut-wrenchingly awesome prequels of all time.

3. Halo 2

We knew Halo 2 was special as soon as '03s E3 showed one of the best gameplay demos of all time.

We knew Halo 2 was special as soon as we began playing it, even though we quickly learned the E3 demo wasn't part of it — because it was never meant to be more than a cool tech demo.

Courtesy of having to follow up on one of the best debuts of all time, Halo 2's devs at Bungie had to go through hell to clear the high bar set by Halo: Combat Evolved, in record time. Still, the result was not just one of the most memorable (even if disjointed) campaigns of all time, but also what was by far the console generation's best online experience.

2. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas was the best-selling game of the best-selling console of all time, and it was no fluke.

It came out after GTA 3 and Vice City, two titles that would've deserved that spot had SA not materialized, but San Andreas was the rare sequel to go even bigger than its already humungous predecessors, and still not feel bloated because of it. Getting to wreak havoc not in one, but three different GTA-fied spoofs of real america, the countryside, and finally even getting to swim made SA feel less like a game, and more like an entire saga in one box.

1. Half-Life 2

Naturally, picking the best game out of such an eclectic list will always come down to personal taste — but not this time. I kid, but I honestly do think Half-Life 2 was and, at least until the arrival of Dark Souls, remained the most serious contender for the game of the century.

Half-Life 2 not only amped all the stakes introduced by its stellar predecessor, but it also introduced a wide array of mechanics that feel fresh even so many years later. One of the reasons Half-Life 3 might never materialize is Valve's possible inability to come up with anything even better, and that's ok.

The post Best games that turned 20 in 2024, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

While most of the Warcraft Direct was...well...direct, Blizzard did end the show with a bit of a teaser: Player Housing is finally coming to World of Warcraft. The brief 44-second teaser showed a character walking into his home, with the walls adorned with the head of Onyxia, a Mechanical Shredder statue, and other various items from the popular MMORPG before taking a drink from a mug with the words "Home sweet Home" on it. The teaser ends by showing the World of Warcraft: Midnight logo, hinting that the feature will be part of the upcoming Midnight expansion.

It's a feature that players have wanted since the start of the MMORPG's life back in 2004. Without many details, it's hard to know what exactly we're going to be getting with this, but as long as it's heavily customizable, we can show off some of our best achievements with it, and we can invite our friends, I think that would be a good start. Just no Garrison 2.0, please.

The post World of Warcraft teases much requested feature: Player Housing appeared first on Destructoid.

It's hard to believe, but World of Warcraft is now two decades old. The original vanilla World of Warcraft launched back in 2004, and has since then received ten expansion packs with two more already announced and on the way. As part of the 20th-anniversary celebration, another Blizzard title, Diablo Immortal, is hosting an event to honor the MMORPG's long history.

It would have been awesome to see this event in Diablo 4 as opposed to Diablo Immortal, but I'm assuming the recent release of the first Diablo 4 expansion, Vessel of Hatred, played a role in preventing that. Instead, starting November 13 at 3 a.m. local time, players will be able to take part in the Eternal War during the 20th-anniversary event and acquire event-specific rewards themed around World of Warcraft.

Here are all the rewards you can obtain in the first few tiers of the Eternal War in Diablo Immortal during the event:

• Mourneskull (Two-Star) Legendary Gem
• 1 New World of Warcraft Weapon Skin
• 10 Legendary Crests
• Frostmourne Weapon Cosmetic
• Icecrown Pathway Portal

The Frostmourne Weapon cosmetic and Icecrown Pathway portal were previous available in the Shadow of the Frozen Throne event, so it's possible you already have them. As part of the event, players can then take on the pinnacle boss of the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King expansion, the Lich King himself. Considered by many to be the most famous—or infamous—character in all of Warcraft, fighting against the Lich King will reward players with Frozen Boons, a new currency that can be used to unlock various cosmetic Weapon Skins for each of Diablo Immortal's eight classes.

I have to admit, these are some pretty legendary Weapon Skins from Warcraft lore including Gorehowl, Atiesh, and Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker. Yes, that Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker. Here are all the Weapon Skins each class can get:

• Barbarian: Gorehowl
• Blood Knight: Remornia
• Crusader: Truthguard
• Demon Hunter: Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury
• Monk: Fist of the Heavens
• Necromancer: Shadowmourne
• Tempest: Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker
• Wizard: Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian

For Diablo Immortal players interested in some PvP, there's also the opportunity to partake in the Cutthroat Basin PvP event. Themed after the popular WoW Battleground Arathi Basin, players will be assigned to either the Horde or Alliance and then fight against the other faction across the Arathi Basin. Victory in the Cutthroat Basin rewards players with progress towards the Eternal War event as well.

The Diablo Immortal 20th anniversary event crossover with World of Warcraft starts on November 13 at 3 a.m. local server time and runs through December 11 at 2:59 a.m. local server time. Players who login to Diablo Immortal and join in on the fun on a Level 10 or higher character during the event will also receive a Treasure Nabbin' Bag cosmetic in World of Warcraft: The War Within.

The post Diablo Immortal celebrates 20 years of WoW with battle against the Lich King appeared first on Destructoid.

You'd have to have bats in your belfry to not enjoy a spooky good time in Azeroth! Whether you're cruising for candy or bobbing for new mounts, we've got a guide to help you out. This event takes place from October 25 to November 8.

What's new for Hallow's End in 2024?

There are new candy buckets to go Trick-or-Treating in this year. They're all scattered around the new Khaz Algar zones, and you can check out our maps below.

A new transmog set is available, and it's especially useful for people who want to save a few hundred of their Trading Post Tenders. It's the Patched Harvest Golem outfit, a recolor of the Trading Post's Ragged Harvest Golem. If you wanna look like a scarecrow monster, but you aren't picky on the color, this is a great way to get the costume.

The pieces of the cosmetic set drop from either the Headless Horseman dungeon boss, or from the Candy Buckets scattered over the world. The accompanying back piece and claw weapon are available from the event vendors in Stormwind and Undercity. Those same vendors also have a new set of shoulders and a cloak head piece.

The Headless Horseman

Players can queue up for a short one-boss dungeon every day using Dungeon Finder. (Cntrl+i by default.) You sign up, run in, and fight the Headless Horseman. There's also a series of wickermen at the start of the dungeon that you can use to increase it's difficulty for yourself. Doing so gives your Loot-Filled Pumpkin better chances at containing the Headless Horseman's Mount. You can also acquire different transmogs, trinkets, and other goodies inside so make sure to queue up every day!

The Lootfilled Pumpkin can also drop the unique dragonriding appearance Windborne Velocidrake: Hallow's End Armor. There's also the adorable pet Arfus, Arthas' ghost dog. You may also walk away with one of the Horseman's items, including a sword and a helmet.

Attack of the Horseman's Shade

A few cities around Azeroth are plagued with visits from the Shade of The Headless Horseman. He'll start setting fire to nearby structures, and players have to work together to put it out. There's a quest from a nearby Orphan Matron that will teach you how to put out the fires so you can prepare for the real thing.

The Shade is only around for a limited time, and the fires will continue to spread if you don't work together to put them out. If you all manage to put them out in time, The Shade will come down and engage in a fight. Defeating him leaves a quest item that you can turn in every day.

The cities attacked are:

• Alliance: Goldshire, Kharanos, and Azure Watch
• Horde: Brill, Razor Hill, and Falconwing Square

The Wickerman's EXP Buff

Find your faction's Wickerman statue for a sweet experience buff. For Horde it's in Lordaeron (the fortress above Undercity), and for The Alliance it's outside Stormwind's front gate. Interact with the ash outside to throw it on the statue, and you'll get a 10% experience and rep buff that lasts for two hours.

If you don't see the ashes, you may need a player to rekindle the Wickerman, which is can be done by talking to nearby NPC's who give the daily quest "A Time to Build."

Tricky Treats and Rewards

Below are the maps of the new bucket locations in Khaz Algar.

You collect Tricky Treats by visiting inns across Azeroth and grabbing from their Trick or Treat buckets. You also get them by completing event quests and doing the Headless Horseman boss fight. These can be spent on items from vendors around the Wickermen above Undercity and outside Stormwind. Here's a list of what you can purchase:

The post World of Warcraft: The War Within Hallow’s End event guide appeared first on Destructoid.

It's been 20 years since the servers for World of Warcraft went live, caught fire, rebooted, and eventually started working. Now's our chance to revisit the last 20 years on Azeroth. There's plenty to do to collect fancy armor redesigns from the olden days, new toys, mounts, and plenty of pets.

The celebration takes place in Tanaris at the entrance to the Caverns of Time. You can use the portal in your faction's capital to get there quickly. You'll find many fun activities, quests, and vendors all over, so check it out!

What can you do during the 20th Anniversary Celebration in WoW?

Celebrating the history of World of Warcraft is no easy task. What do you focus on for 20 years of content? The answer is a little bit of everything! What's great about this event is that it isn't just quests and raids; there are player interaction events, too.

A series of events are on regular rotation, including "Story Time," "Fashion Frenzy," "and Mount Mania." Players can participate in all of them and earn some achievements towards a special mount. Participating in these events is also part of the weekly quest to earn Bronze Celebration Tokens, but more on that later.

"Story Time" has players hanging out while Lorewalker Cho tells a story from Warcraft's history. Players can participate with prompts to do things like cheer and throw rotten apples. "Fashion Frenzy" is like the "Trial of Style," except any number of players can participate. Players get ribbons and run around handing them to the most fashionable people around them. "Mount Mania" asks players to group up and try to summon the same mounts as the host. Odds are you won't have all 15, but with a little luck you'll win the competition! These are very low stakes but extremely fun to play in.

Besides that, players can go hunt down world bosses across Tanaris and other zones. You can also queue for the new Classic Timewalking dungeons. There's also a redone Blackrock Depths raid and a return to previous events like Korrak's Revenge for PVP. There's a lot to do and a lot to earn.

What can you get with Bronze Celebration Tokens?

The biggest reward here is going to be the Eternal Tier 2 sets. Redesigns of iconic sets from the earliest days of WoW are available to collect for all classes. Classes that didn't exist back then have some unique-looking sets. Beyond that, there are some new toys and battle pets, as well as Blizzard Service transmogs. These are in-game item appearances based on the look of the real-life items given to Blizzard employees after many years of service.

How do you get Bronze Celebration Tokens?

There are several ways to get Bronze Celebration Tokens, and most are repeatable. The introductory quests "Meet and Greet" and "Shopping Squee!" are one-time per Warband and give you 10 Tokens each. Truth of the Dark Irons! will give you 5 Bronze.

Completing the weekly quest "Celebrate Good Fun!" gives you 3 Bronze. Weekly events in Khaz Algar grant 1 Bronze each. This means the weekly stuff you've likely already been doing to help gear up. Weekly Quests in Khaz Algar, like the "Call of the Delves" and "Archive: Seeking History," grant 2 Bronze each. To earn 3 Bronze, you'll want to complete the 20th Anniversary-specific weekly quests. These include "The Originals," "Soldier of Time," "Chromie's Codex," "An Original Path through time," and the like. You'll find these quests in the celebration outside the Caverns of Time.

There are repeatable activities as well. Defeating bosses in the Blackrock Depths raid, beating the Anniversary World Bosses, running Classic Timewalking dungeons, the Codex of Chromie scenario, and daily Korrak's Revenge quests all give extra tokens.

Timewarped Badges Rewards

You may have a lot of these stored up already if you're a big fan of doing the Timewalking dungeons. You'll need quite a few to purchase everything. Fortunately, these can be acquired by doing the Classic Timewalking dungeons and related quests. I recommend going for the Titles, as those are least likely to return when Classic Timewalking cycles back into the weekly events in a few months.

What are the Anniversary Event Achievements?

There's a slick new Coldflame Tempest mount to collect. Its design is based on the same Coldflame armaments you can unlock with Bronze Tokens. To get it requires you to complete the meta-achievement "A Cool Twenty Years." That requires the following achievements:

• I Have That One! - Match One Mount during "Mount Mania."
• Pet Mischief - Use a pet disguiser to look like your pet and explore the area.
• Peanut Gallery - React to Lorewalker Cho's stories (using the special command button prompts). You'll need to do this 50 times.
• A Gatecrasher - Defeat at least one of the World Bosses during the WoW Anniversary in Tanaris.
• Fashion Critic - Cast 1 vote at the "Fashion Frenzy."
• Balloonist - Ride one of the celebration balloons. Find the balloon vendor and click on a floating balloon to ride it. Give it a few seconds before you get the achievement.
• An Original - Defeat one of the WoW Anniversary world bosses. This list is Azuregos, Lethon, Taerar, Lord Kazzak, Emeriss, and Ysondre.
• Codex Editor: Ahn'Qiraj - Complete "The Codex of Chromie" scenario.

The Token Collector achievement requires you to collect 100 Bronze Celebration Tokens during the event. It will become a Feat of Strength achievement afterward. Other achievements for this event include:

• A Dark Iron Past - Find the Temporal Missives from Moira within the Blackrock Depths Raid (Timewalking).
• You're in Your Blackrock Depths - Defeat the bosses in the Blackrock Depths Raid (Timewalking).
• A Gatecrasher - Defeat one of the World Bosses in Tanaris.
• The Gatecrashers - Defeat all three of the World Bosses in Tanaris.
• An Original - Defeat one of the original WoW Anniversary world bosses.
• The Originals - Defeat all 6 of the original WoW Anniversary world bosses.
• A Timewalking Journey Back to a Classic Dungeon Time - Complete 6 of the Classic Timewalking Dungeons.
• A Timewalking Step Back to a Classic Dungeon Time - Complete one of the Classic Timewalking Dungeons.
• Upgraded Apparel - Purchase an Eternal Tier 2 set. This reduces the price of your next set from 60 tokens to 40.
• Classy Dresser - Purchase a second Eternal Tier 2 set. This reduces the price of the rest of the sets from 40 to 20.
• Avid Learner - Listen to all three of Lorewalker Cho's stories.
• Frequent Flyer - Ride all four colors of balloons.
• Big Fan - Cast 20 votes in "Fashion Frenzy."
• Mount Master - Match 20 different mounts in "Mount Mania."
• Zoomies! - Get the zoomies for 20 seconds while disguised as your pet. This requires a Pet Mirror, available from a chest near the pet trainers. Then go to the area by the mount and Cho events, and you'll see little treats lying on the ground. Follow them in a path for 20 seconds.
• Photo Op - Take 10 photos using the vista points, accessible by taking the Vista Portals near the "Fashion Frenzy" stage.

What else is in WoW's 20th Anniversary Patch?

The celebration event isn't the only thing that changed with patch 11.0.5. There's a lot of refreshes to old events, big class changes, and more. Check out the list below for a quick rundown.

• Timewalking Changes - 6 dungeons from base WoW have been added to a new Classic Timewalking, which joins the rotation with the expansion weekly events. You can also start these at level 10, rather than 30. The rewards that each vendor offers during the respective expansion's Timewalking have also been refreshed. That means more mounts to collect!
• Dracthyr's Get Some Class - Previously tied to the exclusive Evoker class, Dracthyr can now become Hunters, Priests, Rogues, Warlocks, Mages, and Warriors. They also get some changes to their Racial abilities due to this class update.
• Ascend in Style with New Shaman Forms - Shamans can turn into different Ascendant Elementals based on their spec, and the model is finally getting a much-needed update. Glyphs can be applied to give the new Energetic forms.
• Transmog Collections - Appearance collectors will be happy to know that more work is going into making it easier to collect appearances on any character. This includes class-restricted gear, like the original Tier 2 sets.
• Working from the Warband Bank - Reagents for profession crafting stored in the Warband Bank can now be used for Crafting Orders. This is a welcome change, indeed!

The post World of Warcraft 20th Anniversary Patch Guide appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're diving into World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery, you’ve probably heard about the Bloodied Weapons in Zul'Gurub. These weapons are unique to Season of Discovery and offer serious boosts for your character, so if you’re looking to get your hands on one, here's how you can.

Where to get Bloodied Weapons in WoW Season of Discovery

Bloodied Weapons are powerful loot introduced with the revamped Zul'Gurub raid. They pack impressive stats and can give your character an edge in both PvE and PvP. These weapons weren’t part of the original Vanilla WoW, so they're an exciting addition for longtime players revisiting this content​​. There are a couple of ways and content you can run to get them.

• Run Zul'Gurub: Bloodied Weapons drop from bosses within the revamped Zul'Gurub raid. Key encounters include bosses like Bloodlord Mandokir, Jin'do the Hexxer, and the final boss, Hakkar the Soulflayer. Each boss has its own loot table, so you may need to target specific bosses based on the weapon you're after​.
• Edge of Madness: If you're after more loot, don't miss the "Edge of Madness" event inside Zul'Gurub. This event features rotating bosses and is a great chance for extra rewards, including the rare Bloodied Weapons in question. To participate, you'll need an Alchemist in your team to craft a special potion. This potion is then used in the Edge of Madness subzone within Zul'Gurub to summon one-of-four rotating bosses, each with unique loot of their own:

  • Gri'lek the Wanderer
  • Renataki of the Thousand Blades
  • Hazza'rah the Dreamweaver
  • Wushoolay the Storm-Witch

Like much of WoW’s loot system historically, getting a specific Bloodied Weapon will require some serious luck and a lot of RNG. You may not get what you want on the first try, but persistence has always been the key to getting the gear you want in WoW. Keep clearing Zul'Gurub, and eventually, your perseverance will pay off with a Bloodied Weapon of your own.

The post How to Get Bloodied Weapons in WoW Season of Discovery appeared first on Destructoid.

I’ve always valued the rich variety of activities available in World of Warcraft, from raiding and PvP to Mythic+. However, my feelings about Mythic+, particularly in The War Within, are somewhat mixed these days. On the one hand, it offers an exciting way to stay engaged with the game, presenting numerous opportunities for progression.

On the other hand, it brings along some significant pitfalls and challenges that are getting harder to overlook. Mythic+ often feels like a double-edged sword: while it provides endless chances for improvement, the accompanying issues make me question whether the rewards are truly worth the effort.

The upside of Mythic+ in The War Within

For many players, myself included, Mythic+ is a cornerstone of WoW’s endgame. I’ve sunk countless hours into Mythic+ dungeons over the years because, when everything goes right, it’s a thrilling experience that is easy to enjoy for extended periods of time. There’s nothing quite like pulling off a clean run on a high-level key with your group. It’s challenging, rewarding, and keeps the game interesting week after week. It's such a positive addition to WoW that it's practically become the main event... for better or worse.

Constantly relevant content

One of the biggest perks of Mythic+ is that it’s never really "done." No matter how many keys you complete, there’s always a higher level to push for, new strategies to figure out, and fresh affixes to tackle. This is perfect if, like me, you enjoy the grind. Every week feels like a chance to prove yourself again, and that’s a big part of the appeal. The way difficulty scales means there’s always something to challenge you, no matter how geared or experienced you are.

A great source of Gear

Mythic+ is also hands down the best way to get gear in The War Within. I’ve been able to gear up quickly just by focusing on these dungeons. The Great Vault rewards you for doing multiple dungeons each week, and the gear you get from it is often just as good, if not better than what you’d earn from raiding. For someone who likes mixing up endgame content, Mythic+ has become an essential part of my weekly routine.

But here’s the catch…

As much as I enjoy Mythic+, it’s got some major downsides that weigh on me more and more. First up is the pressure it puts on Raiders. If you’re part of a raid group, especially one aiming for Heroic or Mythic difficulties, running Mythic+ is basically a requirement to keep up in terms of gear. Unfortunately, this is where the grind starts to become... grindy, and that's not a good thing.

Mandatory for Raiders

In The War Within, the pressure to run Mythic+ is heavier than ever. If you’re serious at all about raiding beyond Normal difficulty, there’s genuinely no way to avoid Mythic+. It is a requirement. I find myself logging in not because I’m excited to play but because if I skip Mythic+ for a week, I’ll fall behind my guildmates. What used to be a fun challenge has become something I have to do just to stay competitive in raids. This shift—from raiding being the primary source of gear to Mythic+ taking over—is highly exhausting.

You’re punished if you don’t like It

Even if you’re not into Mythic+, you’re kind of forced into it. I know plenty of people in my guild who aren’t fans of the Mythic+ grind, but they have no choice if they want to keep pace. It sucks to feel stuck running content you don’t enjoy just to stay relevant. If you’re a good raider but don’t run Mythic+, you’ll still end up behind in terms of gear progression, and that creates this weird dynamic where players are punished for not liking a certain part of the game, or at least not wanting to grind it all the time. But, if you don't, you will absolutely suffer in the gearing department, and that just sucks.

Pugging Mythic+ is the worst

Then there’s the nightmare that is pugging (joining a random group of players). Some of my worst experiences in WoW have come from trying to pug Mythic+ runs. The random nature of pugging makes it super stressful, and when things go wrong (which they often do), it’s just a mess. The timer adds unnecessary pressure, and if it becomes clear that you won’t meet the timer, players tend to leave early. Who doesn't love that? I now avoid pugging unless I absolutely have no choice, which limits how much Mythic+ I can realistically do each week. Historically, pugs have never been 'the best' way to run anything in World of Warcraft, but current Mythic+ puts a bright spotlight on the aging problem.

Affixes feel like unnecessary difficulty

More often than not, Affixes add a level of difficulty that can feel more frustrating than fun to play against. Instead of making you come up with creative strategies, they often just punish you for things outside your control. While The War Within managed to fix a lot of these problems, especially by adding buffs to the affix list as well, I feel the main issue remains. While I get that affixes are supposed to keep dungeons fresh, and they do, sometimes they end up feeling like they’re adding spiteful artificial difficulty for the sake of it, rather than improving the gameplay experience with something interesting.

The problem with Raid Loot vs. Mythic+ Loot

One of my biggest gripes with Mythic+ in The War Within, beyond what I've already mentioned, is how it overshadows raiding when it comes to loot. The amount of gear you can get from Mythic+ is ridiculous compared to what you get from raiding. You can run multiple Mythic+ dungeons a week and get top-tier gear from the Great Vault, while raids feel incredibly stingy by comparison. This insane loot disparity is a serious issue that cannot be ignored.

Mythic+ Loot overshadows Raiding

Currently, there's no limit to the amount of loot you can get from Mythic+. Between Raids and Mythic+, there is simply no contest. Raid loot, especially from Normal and Heroic, just doesn’t keep up in terms of power or number of drops. After a few high-level Mythic+ runs, the gear you get from raiding starts to feel underwhelming. It’s a shame because raiding used to be a core part of WoW’s endgame, but when Mythic+ is so much more efficient for gear, it’s hard not to prioritize it over raids. I genuinely don't blame anyone that does.

Fix the Loot Disparity

Blizzard has addressed this before, but it remains a big problem regardless. Raid loot should be more competitive with Mythic+ gear, especially at higher difficulties. They could increase the item level of raid gear or add special bonuses that make it stand out. Another option would be to limit drop frequency or how powerful Mythic+ gear is so it doesn’t completely overshadow raid rewards. I am not a fan of this option though, because I like that Mythic+ is a great source of additional loot. However, loot from Raiding currently serves only a niche purpose, and that makes the whole effort of putting a group together for a raid feel meaningless.

The current disparity in loot between raiding and Mythic+ is pushing more players, myself included, to favor Mythic+ over traditional raiding. While I don’t dislike Mythic+ overall, it’s hard to ignore that raids take significantly longer to complete yet yield far less loot compared to a mode that not only offers better rewards but also an endless supply of them. This creates a serious imbalance that isn't being adequately addressed, leading to frustration for players like me who value the raid experience but aren't being properly rewarded for it.

What needs to change in Mythic+

While I do enjoy certain aspects of Mythic+, it's clear that the system is in need of significant adjustments, and I’m confident I’m not alone in feeling this way. The current setup is unnecessarily punishing and stressful, especially if you’re not running it with a consistent group. If Blizzard wants to make Mythic+ more enjoyable and less of a chore, here’s what I think they should do:

Get rid of the Timer

Since the dawn of Mythic+, the timer has been a source of artificial difficulty for the game mode. For many players, it's one of the most stressful aspects of the system, and honestly, I think it should go. It discourages people from pugging and adds unnecessary pressure to every run. Removing the timer would let players focus more on learning the mechanics and working together without the constant fear of failure via the clock hanging over them.

Instead, Mythic+ should emphasize minimizing deaths, rewarding teams with greater end rewards for fewer deaths. The challenge should lie in the difficulty of the encounters themselves, rather than in racing against a timer, which often shifts the focus to route optimization and speed rather than skillful play and overcoming tough content.

Rework Affixes

Affixes need a complete rework. Instead of adding frustration, they should add a challenge that encourages teamwork and creative thinking. Blizzard should experiment with affixes that don’t just ramp up the difficulty but make the dungeons more dynamic and interesting.

Introduce a Loot Goblin affix that adds a chance for one to spawn in your dungeon. If your team can kill it before it escapes, you'll earn an extra piece of loot. Another potential affix could make enemies explode a few seconds after death, adding a tactical layer to positioning and timing. The key is to move away from affixes that rely on random effects tied to timers: everyone uses addons to manage these anyway. Also, eliminate the flat stat increases to enemies based on affixes, as they add nothing but dull, artificial difficulty.

End Key degradation

Failing a Mythic+ run is already enough of a punishment in terms of wasted time. The extra penalty of key degradation feels totally unnecessary. Removing this would encourage players to push themselves to try higher keys without the fear of losing progress.

In conclusion...

Mythic+ is one of the most engaging parts of WoW’s endgame, but it’s about as far from perfect as it can get right now. The pressure it puts on raiders, the frustrations of pugging, the disparity in loot between Raids and Mythic+, and the stress caused by affixes and the timer all contribute to a system that is overwhelmingly problematic toward the player base. The proof of this statement is everywhere, even on the official WoW forums. With meaningful changes, Mythic+ could evolve into a truly balanced and enjoyable aspect of The War Within. As it stands, though, it remains a blessing rotting in a growing sea of decay, marred by frustration.

The post Mythic+ is both a blessing and a curse in WoW: The War Within’s endgame appeared first on Destructoid.

Since August, World of Warcraft guilds have been reporting a troubling bug: their guild banks, where any member of the guild can store resources, items, and even the game's rarest of loot (like mounts), were wiped out. Whether completely emptied or simply missing items, users reported that the fruits of their labor were vanishing into thin air. As of September, Blizzard's response has left many players with their heads in their hands.

Some items will never be recovered

Community Manager Linxy said in a blogpost over on the Blizzard forums that the core issue was caused by the enabling of cross-realm guilds. As a part of The War Within, many limitations on players' ability to play, trade, and share with each other across both faction and realm were dissolved, making for a more communal experience across the player base.

But that convenience comes at a cost. "Due to how some of the data was lost, we've reached a point where the result will be an incomplete restoration for some guilds, and we do not have a way to restore the remaining missing items for them," says Linxy. Data loss is a backend developer's worst nightmare, especially when that data could be 19-year-old mounts, collectables, and items not even obtainable in the game anymore.

The affected community, needless to say, is in shambles. The bug didn't affect everyone, mind you, but those it has have lost, at worst, nearly two decades' worth of stashed items. The best we can hope for is some form of compensation to those affected, but without the data that shows which items were lost, it really isn't going to be possible to get that history back.

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WoW: The War Within's campaign is rather lengthy and is split into a few parts, which makes it a bit difficult to track the full list of quests involved. Thankfully, I've completed all parts of it and can enlighten you.

The Full Campaign Quest List for WoW: The War Within

As just mentioned, the campaign for The War Within is comprised of three complete parts: The Visions of Azeroth Campaign, the Khaz Algar Leveling Campaign, and the Max-Level Campaign. All three parts make up the entirety of The War Within's campaign, and each requires conditions to be met to begin.

Visions of Azeroth Introduction Campaign for The War Within

To start the Visions of Azeroth, you need to be level 68 before it will appear for you in-game. These are the list of quests involved:

• The War Within
• A Poor Reception
• Azeroth's Voice
• Painful Lessons
• The Bronzebeard Family
• A Mysterious Warning
• Citizens of Dalaran
• Meet the Team
• Strength the Wards
• To Khaz Algar!
• Breach
• Rupture
• Departure
• Adventuring in Khaz Algar

Khaz Algar Leveling Campaign for The War Within

Completion of Adventuring in Khaz Algar, the final quest in the Visions of Azeroth Campaign, will allow you to begin the Khaz Algar Leveling Campaign in its place. This campaign isn't comprised of specific missions to follow, instead directing you to focus on taking quests throughout all four zones of Khaz Algar: Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, Hallowfall, and Azj-Kahet. Its purpose is to help you reach the maximum level in The War Within: Level 80.

Max-Level Campaign for The War Within

Upon reaching Level 80 and reaching Renown Level 4 with all four major factions, you'll be able to begin the final portion of The War Within Campaign, which sees you confronting Xal'atath while also unlocking the Earthen Allied Race. This portion is broken up into five main chapters.

Against the Current

• The Fleet Arrives
• Embassies and Envoys
• There's Always Another Secret
• What's Hidden Beneath Dornogal
• Preparing for the Unknown
• Urban Odyssey

Ties that Bind

• After the Storm
• Dhar Oztan
• Conduit of the Southern Storm
• Charging Up That Hill
• Heeding the Call
• Rook Rally
• Ground Pounders
• Goldbricking
• Metal and Stone
• Home to Roost
• Strays
• Flight Training 101
• Flight Training 102
• Flight Training 103
• Paying Respects
• The Edicts
• Titanic Failsafe

News from Below

• Gathering Intel
• A Spider's-Eye View
• Creeping THrough Corridors
• Lab Access
• Making of a Monster
• The Queen's Chains
• Rogue Agent
• Go Loud
• Manufactured Mutiny
• News from Below

The Machines March to War

• A Mysterious Signal
• Small Friend, Big Plans
• Factory Recon
• Back to Base
• A Plan Comes Together
• To the Waterworks
• Putting the Works in Waterworks
• Elemental Trepidation
• Shadowvein Extraction
• We Require More Minerals
• The Motherlode
• Back to Where it Began
• It's Sabotage
• The Voice of the Speakers

A Light in the Dark

• A Tide Needing Turned
• The Might of Khaz Algar
• Steel and Flames
• Cutting Off the Legs
• A Light in the Dark
• Return to Dornogal

Completing the Max-Level Campaign will earn you the 'The War Within' achievement and the right to make an Earthen character via unlock, as rewards.

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In WoW: The War Within, players solely looking to experience the overarching storyline of the Nerub-ar Palace raid have the option to run the raid in Story Mode. This mode is not enabled by default, so here's how you can turn it on.

How to enable Story Mode Raids in WoW The War Within

If you don't have time to experience the raid, or you simply don't care enough to do so, Story Mode raids are the perfect way for you to find out what happens next in WoW's overarching storyline. As a new feature added to WoW with The War Within, currently, only the Nerub-ar Palace raid has access to this mode. To turn it on, all you need to do is find Kriz the 'Loyal' near the entrance to Nerub-ar Palace (/way 32, 64).

Talk with him and request to "Enter Nerubar-ar Palace in Story Mode." It should be the only dialogue option he gives you, so you can't miss it. Once enabled, simply enter the raid using the following pop-up, and you'll be directly teleported to the final boss, Queen Ansurek herself.

Even in Story Mode, you must face off against Queen Ansurek and slay her to see the end-of-raid cutscene, which moves the story forward. You won't be alone, though, as a number of capable NPCs will be by your side, allowing you to slay the queen with relative ease. All of the fight's standard mechanics can be completely ignored, making this mode even easier than LFR (Looking for Raid).

As mentioned, this mode is currently only for the Nerub-ar Palace raid, but is meant to be a longstanding feature going forward. You can expect it to be available for every following raid, therefore.

Can you get loot from Story Mode Raids?

Story Mode is designed to allow players to stay current with WoW's ongoing storyline without the pressures of dealing with other people. It is not designed as an alternative to completing the raid, thus you will earn no loot in Story Mode. If you want to complete the raid on an easier difficulty and still get loot, then you need to run LFR, as you can earn gear from completing each wing of it.

How hard are Story Mode Raids in WoW The War Within?

Story Mode raids are designed to be accessible for all players, allowing you to focus on the narrative without being overwhelmed by challenging mechanics. While there are mechanics in place, they are generally forgiving, ensuring that you can progress without the threat of failure. This mode emphasizes the story over difficulty, so you can engage with the story without worrying about being held back by complex encounters.

The post How to start Story Mode Raids in WoW The War Within appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're looking to craft your way to the top in WoW: The War Within, you're going to need a lot of Artisan's Acuity to do so. Artisan's Acuity is a very limited resource, but there are a few ways you can gain more of it when needed.

Where to get Artisan's Acuity in The War Within

Artisan's Acuity is the rarest resource you can obtain when it comes to crafting professions. Unlike most resources, it is not obtained via gathering. Instead, it comes most commonly as a byproduct of successful first-time crafts.

First-time Crafts

A first-time craft is exactly what it sounds like: crafts done for the very first time for your profession. Almost every single item that can be crafted will reward Artisan's Acuity as a bonus reward upon a successful first-time craft. You'll know if an item is eligible for this reward when you see 'First-Time Craft' listed upon looking at its recipe in your profession journal.

Patron Crafting Orders

Eventually, you'll run out of first-time craftables to earn Artisan's Acuity from and need to harvest it using an entirely different method. When this happens, the best way to get more is to complete Patron Crafting Orders. These are special crafting orders commissioned to you by many of WoW's NPCs, including well-known favorites like Millhouse Manastorm (yes really).

To access this, head to your respective crafting profession table and click the Crafting Orders button at the bottom. From here, look at the top of the screen and select Patron. There may be a number beside the word, and this indicates the number of potential NPC Crafting Orders you currently have in waiting.

Selecting any of these NPCS orders will reveal their requirements and what you need to fulfill them. Many times, these NPCs will provide some of their own materials, making it a bit easier on you to complete it. The last important thing for you to look out for are the actual rewards, as not every Patron Crafting Order will reward Artisan's Acuity. Only some do, so be careful which ones you decide to complete.

Once you've exhausted all the Patron Crafting Orders that reward you with Artisan's Acuity, your only option is to wait for new ones to come to earn more. New orders tend to come in daily, so be sure to check back periodically. This is also why it is critical to use your Artisan's Acuity wisely, as it is time-gated. These are your primary means of earning Artisan's Acuity.

The post How to get more Artisan’s Acuity in The War Within appeared first on Destructoid.

Playing a Monk in WoW: The War Within is an interesting experience due to the changes the class received, when compared to previous expansions. Simply put: the class's stats scale much better, so if you're interested in playing a Monk, here are the best races you should choose.

Strongest Monk Race in WoW: The War Within

For each faction, there is a superior race you should consider if you're looking to maximize your Monk's potential.

Dwarf

The best Alliance race most suited for the Monk is the Dwarf for a few reasons. First, the Might of the Mountain passive allows your critical strikes to hit 2% harder, which can be a noticeable increase for your Windwalker DPS. For both Mistwaver and Brewmaster, Stoneform is one of the strongest defensive abilities in the game. It removes all negative status effects from you (a godsent in difficult encounters) while reducing the damage you take by 10% for eight seconds. You really can't go wrong with a Dwarf if you looking to excel as an Alliance Monk.

Human

Alternatively. Humans make one of the best Monks due to the racial The Human Spirit. This racial increases all secondary stats (Haste, Critical Strike, Masery, and Versatility) by an additional 2%. All Monk specs require certain secondary stats, so this is a very good racial to have as a Monk.

Orc

The best Horde race most suited for the Monk class is the Orc due to their exceptional racials. Bloodfury boosts all of your damage by a scaling amount of your Attack Power (based on level), for 15 seconds. When used with other boosting effects, such as Bloodlust, on-use Trinkets, or powerful Monk cooldowns like Earth, Storm, and Fire, these combined effects with produce a health boost to your overall DPS. Defensively, Hardiness reduces all durations of stun-based effects by 20% which is fantastic for all Monk specs, but especially so for Brewmasters.

Blood Elf

If Orcs don't fancy you, then a strong secondary option would be a Blood Elf. Blood Elfs get Arcane Torrent, which dispels all Magic-based effects in the area around them, while also restoring one Chi (the Monk's main resource) at the same time. This is a powerful, offensive active ability. Additionally, Blood Elves get a free 1% increased Critical Strike chance at all times, which is nice for DPS.

Should you play any other Monk Race?

The differences between the available races for your Monk are quite minimal. Racial abilities generally don’t provide a significant enough advantage to limit your choices to just the top two. This means you’re free to pick any race you like for your Monk without worrying about a major impact on performance.

The suggestions above are mainly for players seeking to maximize every bit of potential. However, if you prefer the aesthetics or racial traits of another race, feel free to choose that one without hesitation.

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With Delves being introduced in WoW: The War Within as a new pillar of endgame content for solo players, leveling up Brann is important, especially if you plan to progress them. If you're unsure how to do this properly, here's all that you need to know on the matter.

How to level Brann for Delves in The War Within

Brann can only gain experience through playing Delves. There's no method currently that allows you to level Brann outside of them., but it is easy to do so if you know what you're doing.

Brann gets Experience in a couple of ways via Delves:

• Delve Completions - A large majority of the experience Brann gets will be through successful Delves. The higher the tier, the more experience he will gain, with higher tiers granting much more overall.
• Killing Enemies - Every successful kill will reward Brann with a small amount of experience. The more powerful the foe, the more experience.
• Lootables - When looting treasure in Delves, sometimes you'll find raw experience drops that, when picked up, automatically reward Brann with experience. These come in multiple rarities, with the highest (purple) rewarding him with the most XP.

As you can see, just participating in Delves content will level up Brann. However, if you're looking to speed up the leveling process, a specific Delve called Tak-Rethan Abyss (/way 58, 78) in Azj-Kahet is fast to finish. It is also fairly easy to complete solo, making it the ideal Delve for speed leveling Brann. Additionally, it is the perfect Delve for unlocking the later tiers due to how fast you can run through it. Tak-Rethan Abyss also contains plenty of lootables to grab for Brann experience.

Why is Brann not getting experience in The War Within?

As you run Delves, you may notice that your Brann stops getting experience. Once Brann reaches a certain level, he can only gain more experience by running Bountiful Delves. Since only four Bountiful Delves are active daily, this effectively means leveling Brann is timegated. However, I've found that this doesn't matter much for the current scope of Delve content, as tier eight is completable with his current power scaling.

What Curios should you use on Brann in The War Within?

There are quite a few options for Curios to use on Brann. However, there are a couple I recommend, especially if you're trying to level him up quickly.

• Streamlined Relic - This is Utility Curio that boosts your out-of-combat movement speed considerably while also boosting your Haste stat during combat. This Curio is great for speeding through Tak-Rethan Abyss (and any other Delve), as they can be rather large to walk through at normal speed.
• Idol of the Earthmother - Brann grants you a massive shield when you're injured. This one is simple but greatly boosts your survivability in high-tier Delves.
• Olden Seeker Relic - While exploring Delves, when Brann uses his Gathering Tools ability, there's a 20% chance you'll get a powerful buff. This one isn't as universally useful as those mentioned above, but the buffs you can get from this are quite strong.
• Relic of Sentience - When you pick up one of Brann's health potions, there's a chance he could throw you an additional one. This is a solid boost to your survivability, as it means more health potions for you to pick up if your Brann is set to the Healer role.

If you don't have these Curios, they can all be obtained randomly via completing Delves. Make sure you open up any treasure chests you find, as each could contain one of these Curios. Using even one of them will make your life easier, so keep an eye out for them.

What Combat Role should Brann be for Delves in The War Within?

Brann can either be a Healer or a Damage Dealer while supporting you in a Delve. While he is strong in both roles, I prefer him as a Healer as his potions heal a massive amount and he still has DPS at the same time. Even so, feel free to pick his role based on your own.

The post How to easily level Brann in The War Within Delves, and what to know appeared first on Destructoid.

With Mythic dungeons finally available for play in WoW: The War Within, you might be wondering exactly when these dungeons will be reset once you've completed them. Whether you're a new player curious about the mechanic, or an old player potentially confused thanks to Mythic history, here's all that you need to know.

What time do Mythic 0 Dungeons reset in WoW: The War Within

In the past, Mythic dungeons (now known as Mythic 0) had a weekly reset, allowing you to complete each dungeon only once per week. This made gear drops from Mythic dungeons relatively scarce, despite being among the best pre-raid gearing options available.

Fast forward to The War Within, and the rules have changed significantly. Since the introduction of Mythic+ in Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard has continually refined the system, enhancing the fun and challenge, but diminishing the relevance of Heroic and Mythic 0 dungeons. While The War Within doesn't impact Heroics much, it completely revamps Mythic 0, which now reset daily and is notably more challenging to complete. As a result, Mythic 0 dungeons now drop much better loot (still inferior to Mythic+ and Raid gear) and have a much longer lifespan in the current gearing climate.

To be more specific, Mythic 0s reset around 8:00 am PST, allowing you to jump in for another chance at higher tier loot. If you're still not sure exactly when the reset is, type /raidinfo in your in-game chat to see all your lock-out information. If you're looking to jump into the first raid of The War Within, then know that Mythic 0 dungeons are worth grinding out to get a leg up on your item level.

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As you progress through the ranks of The Severed Threads storyline tied to Azj-Kahet in WoW: The War Within, you'll eventually receive the opportunity to make a pact with one of the three sub-factions that make it whole.

If you're not sure which one to join up with, here's some information to help you decide which sub-faction to make a pact with in The War Within.

Should you join the Weaver, Vizier, or General in WoW: The War Within?

To be upfront first, regardless if you decide to join the Weaver, General, or Vizier, the choice is not permanent. Based on how it is presented to you, you may be inclined to believe it is a one-time thing, but that is not the case. You need to make this choice weekly as it is the primary means of progressing the three sub-factions of The Severed Threads. Choosing to pact with one of these sub-factions means that a majority of your activities in Azj-Kahet will reward a significant amount of reputation toward it, while the other two you didn't go with, gain very little.

That said, even the first time you make this choice does matter, as each sub-faction rewards you with unique stuff tied to it, along with permanent buffs while in Azj-Kahet. Just for you, I'll give you a summary of what each sub-faction offers, and why you may want to consider making a pact with them.

Should you Pact with The Weaver?

If you're someone who loves to craft and gather materials from the world itself, then you may want to consider aligning yourself with the principles of The Weaver. Bobbin, the Eye of the Weaver (/way 56, 43) is your representative and it is he who you must speak with to understand the ways of the Weaver.

By going with the Weaver, you earn quite a few useful perks as a crafter. The most important one is called World Buff: Weaver's Tutelage, which allows you to both craft and gather 15% faster. This is extremely useful for those looking to gather materials, whether it's picking herbs or mining ore. As you progress the reputation with the Weaver, you'll get an even more powerful version of this buff called World Buff: Weaver's Prodigy, which turns that 15% into 30%.

Beyond the buff itself, you'll gain access to a special ability called Woven Cocoon, which allows you to spin a web to trap foes in front of you. You can also earn yourself the Widow's Undercrawler mount, the Silksinger title, and the ability to find Weave-Rat Caches treasures throughout Azj-Kahet.

Should you Pact with The Vizier?

If you're someone looking to earn a lot of Nerubian currency (Kej), perhaps collaborating with the Vizier is a better choice for you. Should you decide upon this path, Tulumun, Assistant to the Executor is your main representative to be mindful of. He will help you understand the value of the Vizier.

Choosing the Vizier as your Pact earns you plenty of Kej for purchasing various Nerubian goods via World Buff: Vizier's Savvy. With this buff the amount of Kej you earn for any related activity will be increased by 10%. Further progression with the Vizier will see you earn access to an even better version called World Buff: Vizier's Supremacy, which boosts Kej earnings by 20%.

Besides this, you'll gain access to a special ability called Unstable Concoction, which allows you to hurl a wide variety of experimental potions at your enemies. Additionally, you can obtain the Royal Court Undercrawler mount, the Hand of the Vizier title, and access to Kaheti Excavations.

Should you Pact with The General?

Last but not least, if you're someone looking to survive the hostile world of the Nerubian Empire a little easier, then consider joining up with the General. Following this path is Anub'okki, Disciple of Anub'azal, and should you decide to follow suit, he will be your primary representative for comprehending the methodology of the General.

By choosing to work with the General, you'll gain access to a 'Cheat Death' mechanic, allowing you to survive otherwise impossible encounters via World Buff: General's Phalanx. When this 'Cheat Death' activates, you'll become completely immune to all damage for 10 seconds. Further favor with the General earns you the right to World Buff: General's Bulwark, which does the same thing, but with a much shorter cooldown in-between activations.

Beyond this, working with the General earns you access to a special ability called Heavy Ordnance, which allows you to call in a Nerubian airstrike on unsuspecting foes. In addition, you will be able to earn the Heritage Undercrawler mount and Anub title, along with access to Forgotten Memorials.

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While there's no new base playable races or classes in The War Within, there is an unlockable race you can add to your roster. Sure, the Earthen aren't new to World of Warcraft. However, this particular kind we find have been hidden away from the rest of the world for a few millennia. Now they're ready to join the ranks of both the Horde and Alliance, and this guide will show you how.

What are the requirements for unlocking The Earthen Allied Race?

The key requirement for this new group of playable characters involves a heavy investment into The War Within's story. There are four specific elements that needed to get an achievement called "Allied Races: Earthen." Once you have that achievement, the new race is yours.

These achievement elements are going to be the main story campaign, as well as specific side quests focusing on the lives of the Earthen race. These requirements are:

• The War Within's campaign: Each of the four zones have a specific set of Campaign quests to finish, and a fifth set of quests exists at max level. It's a lot of story content to go through. Fortunately, it's very easy to identify exactly what quests you need to streamline the main storyline as fast as possible.
• Mourning Rise: A side quest chain in The Isle of Dorn starts with a quest titled "Before I depart," and ends with "The Weight of Duty." It's a bummer of a storyline, but it gives a lot of emotional depth to who the Earthen truly are.
• Broken Tools: This set of quests takes place in The Ringing Deeps. You'll be working with Machinist Kittrin on the quest "Discarded and Broken." You'll be through with this once you've completed "Reforged Purpose."
• Merrix and Steelvein: This is a series of quests that starts in Dornogal with "How Scandalous." It ends in the Ringing Deeps with "Bad Business," and is a great look at the political side of Earthen culture.

What are The Earthen's abilities?

Though they look like Dwarves, these new friends are more accurately described as "Living Constructs." They're made of stone and metal, but have plenty of free thoughts and emotions. A lot of these traits are reflected in their racial abilities.

• Azerite Surge: An empowered spell attack that is more powerful the longer you hold it. "Draw upon your inner strength. RElease to invoke the power of Azerite on a cone in front of you, dealing Fire damage." Rank 1 deals Fire damage, Rank 2 Heals allies hit by the effect, and Rank 3 deals additional Fire damage to the highest health enemy hit.
• Hyper Productive: Increases Finesse by 2%. That increases your chance of gathering additional materials when gathering. This a particularly strong race if you want a character who gathers materials for your alts or selling on the auction house. They CAN drink potions and flasks for additional benefits and healing.
• Ingest Minerals: You are always considered "Well Fed," because you cannot eat. This means you are unable to use normal food, and will require Mage Food to heal outside of combat. Bandages may still work.
  This ability allows you to instead consume a cut Khaz Algaar gem and change what your Well Fed benefit grants you. Raw gems will not work.

  • Amber = Stamina
  • Emerald = Haste
  • Onyx = Mastery
  • Ruby = Critical Strike
  • Sapphire = Versatility

• Titan-Wrought Frame: Base armor from equipped items is increased by 10%. This obviously benefits Plate wearers the most. Of course, there's something to be said about being a rogue with the best armor bonus.
• Wide-Eyed Wonder: When you gain experience for exploration, gain an additional 200%. This could help with faster leveling in new zones. It seems that you can still use The Warband Guide to Everywhere All At Once toy to uncover the map, but you still get discovery exp for actively being in each location. Still, it's probably easier to keep track of where you've been without it.

As for classes, the Earthen have access to a fairly standard set at creation. You can choose from Hunter, Mage, Monk, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, or Warrior. If you're interested in being a Hunter, you'll get a unique starting pet of a Gruffhorn.

What are the Earthen's special features?

The Earthen come with a special starting racial mount, the Slatestone Ramolith. Like all allied race mounts, it's a ground-only mount.

Earthen also have a unique Heritage armor upon reaching Level 50. Only Earthen can wear it, and there's three color tints to choose from. Note: the old restriction that prevented you earning Allied Race Heritage Armor by race/faction changing a character has been removed. If you don't want to level a new character, race changing to Earthen will get you the new heritage armor.

The post How to unlock the Earthen Allied Race in World of Warcraft appeared first on Destructoid.

Dragonflight may be over, but one of its best features - customizable mounts - remains. This time, there's just one mount to customize: the Delver's Dirigible.

What's a dirigible? I think it's just an...old-timey flying machine? I mean, it sure looks like one. Here's how to get it.

Complete Chapter 1 of the War Within Campaign

First, you'll need to complete the entire first chapter of the campaign, which takes you through each of the expansion's zones, introducing you to new allies and races along the way. This is probably a given if you're, you know, playing the expansion.

Finishing the campaign will lead you back to Dornogal, where you'll pick up chapter 2 after reaching Renown level 4 with each faction.

Begin Chapter 2, and accept the 'Bountiful Delves' quest from Brann

A few short steps into the campaign's second chapter, you'll be shown around to various stations in Dornogal that pertain to the endgame, such as item upgrade vendors and the Delver's headquarters. The quest Bountiful Delves appears as a purple exclamation mark above Brann during this step, and you'll need to accept (and complete) it for the mount.

This quest requires you to get your hands on a Restored Coffer Key and complete a Bountiful Delve on any difficulty. You actually don't need to use the key in the Delve (which is helpful if you, like me, blew all yours during early access) to complete the quest, you only have to get your hands on one.

With those steps done, return to Brann and turn in your quest to get another one, which only has one step: receive your new mount. Congratulations!

The post How to unlock the Delver’s Dirigible customizable mount in WoW: The War Within appeared first on Destructoid.

Greetings, fellow spelunkers. If you're enjoying The War Within's new Delves (well, what's currently available, anyway), then you're also probably gunning for those Restored Coffer Keys, which give extra rewards at the end of their Bountiful variations. A word of warning, though: if you want to put them to good use, keep them in your back pocket a while longer.

Bountiful Delve rewards and you

Bountiful Delves reward a guaranteed piece of gear, assuming you've got a Restored Coffer Key to unlock their exclusive chest, of course. This piece of gear's item level and upgrade track will vary depending on the level of Delve you're tackling, with a hard cap at level 8 of item level 603.

This means you'll get the absolute best possible gear from any given Bountiful Delve at level 8. The problem? Those don't unlock until September 10, so if you're blowing your keys on the current highest level 3, you're doing yourself a disservice.

If a level 8 is a bit too salty for your taste, you can get "Champion" level gear (the highest upgrade track available in Delves) from level 7 as well. It'll just be two upgrade tiers lower, at an item level of 597.

Getting Restored Coffer Keys

None of this matters if you don't have keys. I have a whole heaping guide up over here, but the long and short of it is this: You get four guaranteed keys a week from "caches," those chests you get from weekly quests like Theatre Troupe, Spreading the Light, Special Assignment World Quests, etc. Beyond that, you'll need to get fragments from lucky World Quests or Worldsoul Memory Events. I'd say you can expect to get about five keys a week on average. Happy Delving!

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Starting with WoW Dragonflight, crafting professions have played a much larger role in the gearing process, offering several unique benefits special to each one. If you're looking to reap these rewards, then here's where you can find all of the trainers in WoW's newest expansion, The War Within.

Where to find all Profession Trainers in WoW: The War Within

Whether you want to craft an awesome sword or brew flasks for your raiding team, there's a bit of something for everyone interested in the crafting arts in WoW: The War Within. Professions work similarly to how they did in Dragonflight, but with needed refinements to improve the expanded system. All profession trainers can be found within Dornogal, scattered around the Earthen city. Here are the coordinates for each for your ease of access.

• Alchemy Trainer: /way 47, 71 (The Forgegrounds)
• Blacksmithing Trainer: /way 49, 63 (The Forgegrounds)
• Engineering Trainer: /way 49, 56 (The Forgegrounds)
• Cooking Trainer: /way 44, 46 (Stonelight Rest)
• Enchanting Trainer: /way 53, 71 (The Forgegrounds)
• Jewelcrafting Trainer: /way 50, 71 (The Forgegrounds)
• Fishing Trainer: /way 51, 27 (Keepers Terrance)
• Herbalism Trainer: /way 45, 69 (The Forgegrounds)
• Inscription Trainer: /way 49, 71 (The Forgegrounds)
• Leatherworking Trainer: /way 55, 59 (The Forgegrounds)
• Mining Trainer: /way 52, 52 (The Forgegrounds)
• Skinning Trainer: /way 54, 56 (The Forgegrounds)
• Tailoring Trainer: /way 55, 64 (The Foorgegrounds)

Each profession offers a unique crafting experience and plenty of useful goodies to make. All of them start fairly simplistic, but as you progress, you'll unlock the ability to specialize. I've been working on Alchemy as my main profession, and my experiments are focused almost entirely on producing potent flasks for my raid team any myself. Once you reach level 25 in any of the listed professions, you'll be allowed to mold it to your liking.

One last thing to note: If you decide a profession is not for you, you can unlearn it at any time, but be warned: you will lose all progress while doing so. If you decide to unlearn a profession and then relearn it again, you'll be forced to start from scratch.

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There is a special trinket in WoW: The War Within, called the Neurbian Pheromono Secreter, that doesn't seem to do the one thing it's supposed to. I assure you: it's not bugged, so here's how you can make it work properly.

How to get the Nerubian Pheromone Secreter to function in WoW: The War Within

The description of the Nerubian Pheromone Secreter in WoW: The War Within clearly states the trinket should function like any other proc-based trinket would. However, it probably states for you that 'Your spells and abilities have a chance to secret 0 different pheromones around you'. This may lead you to think it's bugged or not working, but actually, it just functions way differently than you'd expect.

To even obtain this trinket, you need to have reached Renown level 6 in The Severed Threads, but the key to making it work is actually in the sub-faction associated with The Severed Threads: the Weaver, General, and Vizier.

The pheromones the trinket talks about in its description refer to these three sub-leaders, and without enough Reputation, the trinket will cease to function. For this reason, it says '0' in the description. You need to be rank Acquaintance with one of these three sub-faction leaders for the trinket to work, and you'll get an additional pheromone proc for the trinket with each, capping out at three.

WoW: The War Within - Nerubian Pheromone Secreter Customization, explained

Going beyond the proc, the Nerubian Pheromone Secreter has no stats but has sockets for a special type of 'gem' called a Fragrance. These gems can only be placed within this trinket, and there is one type for every secondary stat.

• Inscrutable Fragrance (Mastery) - Sold by Rej the Dying (/way 57, 36)
• Robust Fragrance (Versatility) - Sold by "Eight-Shaker' Sallow (/way 54, 15)
• Invigorating Fragrance (Haste) - Sold by Tej the Undying (/way 56, 34)
• Volatile Fragrance (Critical Strike) - Sold by Venom Dahn (/55, 37)

All of these Fragrances cost 150 Kej each, which is the primary currency for spending in The City of Threads. Incidentally, make sure you use these waypoints within Azj-Kahet, City of Threads; otherwise, you'll be sent off somewhere else completely. Once you have the Fragrances you want to use, equip them like any other gem, and your trinket will now give you the stats you desire.

As you progress The Severed Threads, you'll be able to obtain higher, more powerful versions of the trinket to make use of. While I don't have the higher ranking one myself quite yet, considering its improved item level, it will certainly be worth switching to that one once you can.

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If you’re one of the many players who carefully curate their character’s look, you might find it agitating when your stylish outfit is suddenly replaced by bulky profession gear the moment you start crafting.

Fortunately, Blizzard has provided a way to disable the automatic appearance change, allowing you to enjoy your transmog without interruption in WoW: The War Within—here’s how.

How to toggle off Profession Equipment in WoW: The War Within

When you do any sort of crafting-related activity, your profession equipment appearance is automatically enabled, which can be annoying if you like your transmog. To turn off the appearance of profession equipment coming on once you start making stuff, you have to toggle it off manually via an NPC, similar to previous expansions.

For The War Within, that NPC is named Mahra Treebender, located in Dornogal, the man hub. She can be found next to the Crafting Orders area in Dornogal, (/way 58.02 55.25), and she's pretty difficult to miss because she's a Tauren. She also has the title 'Profession Equipment Specialist', which is kind of its own giveaway, really.

Mahra's entire purpose is to toggle on and off the appearance of your profession equipment, and to do so, start by talking to her. You'll be given three different options to toggle on/off your crafting, gathering, and fishing equipment. These are all separate, so make sure to toggle the ones you want off if you don't want to their gear appear. Personally, I like my Windwalker's transmog, so I've turned all of the options off in favor of it. You can also turn them back on at any time at Mahra.

Once you've done this, no longer will profession equipment plague your appearance.

The post How to turn off Profession Equipment in WoW: The War Within appeared first on Destructoid.

On occasion, WoW has some of the most infuriating quests it wants you to do, and "Home is Where the Candle Is" is one of them. Going to the designated location to find Janky, in the quest, will yield nothing, so where exactly is he?

How to Find Janky for Home is Where the Candle is In WoW: The War Within

Following the quest marker will lead you directly outside of Cinderbrew Meadery, with no Janky in sight. Turns out, Janky isn't actually at the quest waypoint the quest itself tells you to go to. Instead, Janky, along with Fourman Grimes, can be found in Gundargaz, The Ringing Deeps (/waypoint 48, 35), standing next to each other inside the building you kicked coal into earlier.

Why the quest marker points to a location in the Isle of Dorm is beyond me. Even so, depending on where you are in the quest line, Janky and Fourman Grimes will potentially have another set of quests for you to accept, but at least you now know where they're hiding out. Ironically, once you've accepted Janky's quest, the original quest marker from Home Is Where the Candle Is, becomes accurate. Who knew?

These quests, along with Home is Where the Candle Is, are part of a very lengthy quest chain that I haven't even finished myself yet. They involve helping both NPCs and completion will eventually lead to the conclusion of the Home Is Where the Candle Is. With this knowledge, Janky will hide from you no longer, so at least you can now focus on the quests themselves.

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If you're planning to level up your Alchemy in WoW: The War Within, then you're going to need a whole bunch of Coreway Catalyst for experiments. If you're new to the profession, then it's not exactly clear how you get the reagent, so here's everything you need to know.

Where to get Coreway Catalyst in WoW: The War Within

At the release of WoW: The War Within, there are two ways to obtain Coreway Catalyst, though one is off-limits to you if you're just starting out.

The first and primary method of obtaining it is by breaking down solutions you've already made or collected using the Neutralize Concoctions option in your Alchemy recipe list. Going this route will turn whatever alchemical creations you use as reagents into Coreway Catalyst for further experimentation. You'll need a lot of them for this process, so this is by far the most common way to get them.

Alternatively, you can also specialize in the Thaumaturgy Alchemy tree and craft them yourself. With this method, once you've invested at least 15 points into the remaining Thaumaturgy tree, you'll have a chance to create Coreway Catalyst via any Thaumaturgy you attempt, including transmutation. Since this requires 15 points invested into the Thaumatugry tree, you won't be able to jump into Alchemy using this method. This one is for those who've already been working on the profession and are looking for other ways to obtain Coreway Catalyst.

Eventually, you'll have so many Coreway Catalysts that you won't know what to do with them all. In the meantime, though, these are the best ways to obtain the reagent without too much effort.

The post How to get Coreway Catalyst in WoW: The War Within appeared first on Destructoid.

Leveling up in WoW: The War Within is a moderately slow task, but there are ways you can dramatically speed up the process if you're not interested in questing to the new level 80 cap. Here's a fast method of leveling from 70-80 in The War Within.

How to reach level 80 fast in WoW: The War Within

It remains to be seen if this will get changed or outright nerfed by Blizzard, but the fast way to level from 70-80 in The War Within is actually just spamming Normal Dungeons back-to-back in the Dungeon Finder tool. Yes, that's it. Running dungeons gives you the largest amount of experience per hour, far exceeding any quest-specific leveling methods.

The early dungeons in The War Within are super easy on Normal and can completed extremely quickly. The Rookery, specifically, is one of the fastest dungeons I've ever seen introduced into World of Warcraft, and I've been playing since its inception. It is the first dungeon in The War Within, containing three bosses and a decent amount of trash mobs, but none require any special attention. All of the refuse can be AoE'd down together (the bosses included). It wouldn't be a stretch to say it can be completed within five minutes or less if you have a fantastic group.

That said, this method is by far the fastest to use, but if you're not a tank or healer, you may find yourself waiting around a bit. This is the same story WoW has always had to deal with. Everyone wants to play DPS, and significantly fewer want to play Tank or Heals. So, queuing as a Healer or Tank, if your class can, will be considerably faster than not. If your goal is to hit level 80 as soon as possible, you'll need to not be playing as a DPS for maximum efficiency. I am a Windwalker Monk player, but I tanked my way to 80 in under five hours, thanks to never having to wait for a dungeon group to come together.

What are the caveats?

The only caveat to this method is that you still need to complete The War Within campaign to unlock Adventure Mode for faster gearing and campaign skip for your alt characters. Being level 80 can make this process more of a slog because you have nothing to look forward to while doing it. But, if this doesn't bother you, feel free to use this method for speed leveling on your main and alts.

The post WoW: The War Within 70-80 Leveling Guide appeared first on Destructoid.

In WoW: The War Within, Brax, the Innkeeper of Gundargaz, The Ringing Deeps, has lost his trusty pair of Brass Knuckles and tasks you to retrieve them. The only problem is, the area where he wants you to search is huge, so here's exactly where you can find them.

Where is Brax's Brass Knuckles in WoW: The War Within?

Despite the enormous search area, Brax's Brass Knuckles aren't as difficult to find as the quest makes them appear. When I first looked at the map, I assumed it would be a small, interactable object hidden somewhere in the vast quest area that I'd need to keep an eye out for. Turns out, it's nothing like that. Brax's Brass Knuckles were picked up by one of the various fungal lifeforms roaming The Ringing Deeps. This quest is a 'kill and loot' quest in disguise, as all you need to do to actually find his knuckles is slay a whole bunch of them.

Specifically, the enemies you want to look for are all plant life in The Ringing Deeps. The ones you want to keep a look out for are the following:

• Underdrip Crwaler
• Crawler Sproutling
• Disturbed Kelp
• Disrupted Slime
• Sweetnuffler
• Creeping Lashroom

All these beasts can be found roaming the questing area, and defeating them gives you a good chance of finding Brax's Brass Knuckles on their corpse. From my experience, the drop rate seems fairly high—you’re likely to get them within 10 kills. Once you’ve acquired the knuckles, you'll still need to complete the second part of Brax's quest to turn them in, but this should help you get past the most unpredictable step of the process.

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With Hero Talents being one of WoW: The War Within's main features, it's natural to want to unlock them as soon as possible. If you're jumping into new expansion now, here's everything you need to know about the process.

How to get Hero Talents in WoW: The War Within

When you enter the game with the expansion enabled, if open your Talent Tree, you'll see a third new tree in the middle of the screen. These are your Hero Talents, but they are locked until you meet two key conditions, neither of which are difficult to achieve.

To unlock them, make sure you have The War Within purchased and have begun the new campaign questline. The campaign takes you to the ancient lands of Khaz Algar, and you're required to go there to unlock your Hero Talent tree.

After that, all you need to do is reach level 71, and the new talents will automatically unlock. Simply questing in The War Within should provide more than enough experience to get you there. As you level up from 70 to 80, you’ll earn one Hero Talent point per level, which can only be used on the Hero Talent tree of your choice.

Unlike previous new systems in WoW, there’s no additional questline, trigger, or condition needed to unlock these talents, which is a bit surprising. Still, by following these two straightforward steps, you’ll be able to fully enjoy the new Hero Talents. Like normal talents, Hero Talents can be respecced free of charge, so feel free to play around with and experiment with your class's new powers.

The post How to unlock Hero Talents in WoW: The War Within appeared first on Destructoid.

Pet collectors of World of Warcraft have a relatively unique way to earn a new pet starting today. All they have to do is stream their World of Warcraft adventures to their friends in Discord.

After 15 minutes of streaming WoW to their pals, players will be eligible to claim this pet. This promotion is running until September 8.

For those who haven't seen these before, Discord has a quest system that lets you claim rewards for certain games. It's a fancy promotional tool, but one that can let players nab unique rewards. In Discord, you can view Quests under the Discover tab; find the quest you want, and select Accept.

Once you've accepted the quest, stream World of Warcraft to at least one other person for 15 minutes. Once you're done, you can claim your reward from the quest page. In this case, it's a unique pet. Parrlok is a chunky little cyclopean ogre with a distinct sort of charm. It's a one-of-a-kind pet, as the only other like it is a recolored pet named Garrlok. That one has only been offered in the Trading Post, so there's currently no way to get it unless he cycles back in.

Parrlok isn't just for looks, though. He's a potential new member of your Battle Pet team as well. He's a humanoid with decent health stats, and comes with "Cute as a Button." It's a rare skill for Humanoid battle pets to have, increasing their dodge chance to 33% for 2 rounds. Combined with "Stoneskin," he's quite the little tank.

World of Warcraft: The War Within is available for early access now, and releases on August 26 worldwide. You can check out all of our continuing guides and coverage here.

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Twitch’s Summer of Rewards is underway and during the event, you can get your hands on a whole slew of in-game rewards for a long list of games. If you’re wondering which games have drops, or how to get any specific items, I’ve got you covered. 

The Summer of Rewards began on August 2 and is running all the way until September 30, with rewards obtainable for 13 games. You’ll get these rewards by either watching a stream for a fixed amount of time, or by subbing or gifting subs to a relevant streamer as part of the Support a Streamer (SaS) program. 

Rewards earned via watching

Where ‘unknown’ is specified as the required watch time, the full details of the Twitch Drops haven’t been announced. I’ll update this guide with full details as soon as they’re available.

Rewards earned via Support a Streamer

In order to get these items, you’ll need to either:

• Subscribe to a relevant streamer yourself (Prime subscriptions don’t count)
• Gift a subscription to another person

The post All games with drops as part of Twitch’s Summer of Rewards appeared first on Destructoid.

It's been quite a while since I last dove headfirst into World of Warcraft, and the game is quite different now. Yes, you're still creating an Alliance or Horde character and leveling them up through the ongoing conflicts on Azeroth and beyond; however, several new systems and features drastically change the experience.

Starting or returning to WoW now is easier than before, but some changes might require a bit of time to get used to. This was the case for me, as I haven't spent quality time with the MMO since its Battle for Azeroth expansion.

Like other MMOs on the market, World of Warcraft primarily delivers large and sweeping content updates through expansions. While they traditionally promise a continuation of the ongoing narrative alongside new activities and zones, it's also the perfect time for Blizzard to update or add new features. Sometimes, this is on the smaller side, like the Battle Pets feature, and other times, alterations see changes to longtime features or mechanics. Quite a bit has changed in WoW over the last few years, and, in many ways, it's made the game more streamlined for someone like myself, juggling several live service games at once.

Warbands

The introduction of Warbands is one of the first significant changes you will encounter after logging in. This includes a redesign of the character select screen, now primarily showing four favorite characters huddled around a campfire. The whole of Warbands exists to ease the experience of playing multiple characters, offering a way to share a bank, cosmetics, and even progression.

Warbands' best features function in the background, retaining Achievement or Quest progress between characters even if they're part of different factions. You can still undertake Quests that another character has already completed, but the new system will alert players that it's something they've already done. If you decide to repeat Quest content, it rewards more reputation, which is now also tracked account-wide instead of character-specific.

For those more interested in drip, Warbands also lets you collect cosmetic appearances for all your characters more easily. Previously, you'd generally have to be playing a character that could use a specific piece of gear if you wanted to collect its look. However, now, characters can collect any cosmetic appearance for any gear they've obtained.

All mounts are dragons

One of the prominent features of the Dragonflight expansion was Skyriding. This rework to standard flying introduced a more active aerial traversal system, allowing players to glide around at base and use stamina to dash forward or gain altitude. At first, this feature was limited to specific draconic mounts while on the Dragon Isles, but now it is available across all flyers everywhere.

You can still switch back to the original version of flying if you'd like, courtesy of a Spellbook toggle. That said, Skyriding does have its advantages. Even if the different flying style doesn't pique your interest, the change allows players to take to the skies much earlier than before. And with Warbands, if any character already has flying available, every character does.

One journey to rule them all

Back in the day, a new or returning WoW player would have to wade through the narrative and locales that came along with every expansion along the way to the current expansion. All the while, you'd level so quickly that you were often whisked away to new adventures long before seeing a satisfying conclusion to the content you started. That's no longer the case, as new or returning players are funneled into the most current expansion, with XP, challenge, and rewards scaling with level.

While this does mean new players won't take their first steps into Outland or experience the odd joy of farming in Pandaria, it does offer a more streamlined experience. After logging back in, I was offered the option to have some of my characters' Quest Log cleared and to have them deposited in their faction's major city, ready to start the Dragonflight expansion. Of course, this will switch over to The War Within once that launches. Not only does this remove the whirlwind of accepted tasks from across continents, but in the case of someone returning to the game, it eliminates all of the outdated material.

That's not to say that you can't still enjoy the older expansion content if you want. It's still in the game, cleverly folded into the NPC Chromie and the Bronze Dragonflight. A visit to Chromie in either faction's major city allows players to "Time Walk" back through a specific expansion, essentially opening those quests and game instancing up as if it were current content. Another option is a newer option called WoW Remix, which allows players to make a new character in an instanced version of the world where an older expansion is set as the main campaign, XP scaling and all. That said, Remix throws a few curveballs with the addition of powerful stat-increasing and ability-imbuing gems and a cloak that gains additional powerful benefits as you level.

It's never been easier to play with friends

Part of the allure of WoW, at least for me, was getting together with a group of friends to knock out some quests or take on a Dungeon. The game has always been built to play with other people, and now it's easier than ever to do so.

Realm worries are a thing of the past, as you can still group up with others on the same faction regardless of server. Beyond just getting together with friends, WoW now also sports a feature that lets a group leader sync their quest progress with party members. As if that wasn't nice enough, it's also possible now to play with friends on opposite factions, so long as it's instanced content. While it may not seem like a particularly impressive feat, it blew my mind when I was able to queue up with a Horde buddy while I was playing on my Gnome.

I was a bit nervous about jumping back into WoW, remembering the countless systems, reputation grinds, and sporadic leveling process. However, after spending a little over a week with the current iteration of the game, I feel good about rejoining my friends in Azeroth for The War Within. I'm not shackled to older expansion content, and there's no inconvenience grouping up with others regardless of level. More than anything else, I'm excited that I can get back into WoW without feeling like I'm picking up a part-time job.

The post Returning to Azeroth: How to acclimate to current WoW for The War Within appeared first on Destructoid.

Following a deluge of criticism (including from yours truly), World of Warcraft's Radiant Echoes pre-patch event is getting some big tweaks today. In a blogpost over on the forums, community manager Kaivax breaks down the changes.

Less waiting, more rewards

Long story short, the event is going to have less waiting around and, when you do complete it, you'll get more rewards.

Before the patch, you'd have to show up at the beginning of the 90-minute window to complete the event within a rotating zone. Once this event was finished (which took anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes), you were out of luck if you missed it. With this patch, the event will continuously refresh throughout the entire duration. In the active zone, scenarios will appear and, after defeating them, a boss will spawn. Rinse and repeat.

If you do want to farm the lesser mobs that appeared in the zone once the event was over, those will be available in the other, "inactive" zones.

Furthermore, rewards are being increased, and the weekly quests that rewarded 1,500 Residual Memories will now be daily across your account (to cut down on the urge to run the event across multiple alts). With bosses spawning so much more quickly and dropping the same loot, you should be getting a lot more event gear from drops alone, so those memories can be put to good use buying the event's mounts and pets.

Leave it to Blizzard to outdate my blogpost in just 24 hours, but as Kaivax says, "we hear you!"

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