World of Warcraft News and Raiding Strategies

How do you feel about Wildstar's area-effect visuals and would you change them? (Muffinus)
I think Wildstar really made that their thing, so it works for them. I was worried we were going to overdo it for WoW.
I agree with this statement. (Muffinus)

Why is "gamey" considered a bad thing? — Games need rules, but when the rules intrude too much it can be disruptive… https://t.co/IRrx2YUwhh
Real answer: because immersion is often at odds with clarity. Sometimes, there is a more immersive way to get that gameplay. (Muffinus)

Commercial gyms are like Casual guilds, with casual members. Minimum effort yet members want maximum attention / perks.
Gyms want to be a product that everyone buys but very few people use: https://t.co/AYIC1JlY2I (holinka)
ultimately you should be happy about those casuals. They keep prices down. (holinka)
over the members who pour their sweat and hard work day in day out at the gym?
make a gym like that! Maybe you can change the world! (This is all addressed in the linked podcast btw) (holinka)
also it is probably not $10-20 more a month. More like "double or triple what I pay now." (holinka)
I'm also not saying it's a good thing. Just the way gyms are structured now. Definitely room for high price hardcore gyms. (holinka)
why should that even be a means to an end though. I'm not even thinking about a REALLY hardcore gym. Just some place that has high
I guess the bottom line is most gyms are setup to sell memberships not to have people work out in them. Seems backwards right? (holinka)
Just describing why not defending it. But that person who gets on the elliptical for 10 then leaves is more cost effective. (holinka)
pays as much as you but is only there for 10 minutes. Most cost effective person? The one that never shows up at all. Free money (holinka)
real life is very sad (holinka)
Those comments are in NO WAY related to WoW. WoW is better with more people actively playing. We believe that 100%. (holinka)

The winners of this year's pumpkin-carving contest have been chosen -- and they're monstrously spectacular. We'd like to thank everyone who participated this year, and we can't wait to see your mad scientist skills in action again next time around.


Check out all of the creepy, incredible, and creative winning pumpkins here.

As previously announced, Blizzard Entertainment and Random House LLC are partnering to bring you some great new novels, including World of Warcraft: Illidan written by William King (coming in March 2016).

Today, we’re pleased to share with you a first look at the cover art.


If you’re heading to BlizzCon, William King will be signing cover art posters at the following times and locations. Please make sure to stop by, say hello, and welcome him to the Blizzard family!

Random House Booth

Friday, November 6

• 12:00-1:00PM
• 3:30-4:30PM

Saturday, November 7

• 10:00-11:00AM
• 5:00-6:00PM

Blizzard Signing Area

Friday, November 6

• 5:00-6:00PM

Saturday, November 7

• 2:00- 3:00 PM

To preorder your copy of Illidan, head over to http://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/535580/

CM Communication
It's more that a lot of the well thought out stuff aren't quick and easy posts to make in response to, and they may not be allowed to even say anything.

If somebody makes a post about concerns for the future of PvP in Legion for example, somebody like Neth is almost assuredly under a NDA and can't actually say anything without approval from somebody else at Blizzard.

As to other things, a lot of the times comments would boil down to "Yeah I read it, and told the developers about it" to which people would probably still be upset that they didn't go more into it. Keep in mind Neth is a CM and can only really pass information onto the dev team, which I imagine she already is just without telling us about it. Blizzard has never really been in the habit of making posts just to indicate that they read a thread.

As for the comment in the OP, notice how no real information has been given about the game itself. It was a pretty "safe" comment to make, relatively speaking.
We've actually said things like this many times before.

We often leave the "well thought out" posts alone not because we aren't aware of them but they often end up in our internal reports and we don't want the thread to get derailed just because one of us shows up.

Posting or not posting isn't a hard science. We have to make calls on things all of the time. The larger 'well thought out' posts aren't going to get short quick answers either. We could do that but then we get "you don't understand" or people assume our involvement means we either agree or are going to make something happen "soon" based on their post. Design is both a fast and slow process. We do what we can to keep on top of the thoughts and ideas of the community and our development teams do too. They read and are aware of far more than you realize. But again, sometimes people take our responding to something as a promise to take action based on what they said. We'd rather wait to respond when there is a response worth sharing.

Again, it's not a cut and dry thing as much as people think it is. People are complex. They want different things. They interpret words and tone in text differently based on their personal state of mind, wants or desires.

I think many times people just want to feel acknowledged, especially when they put a lot of thought into something many stand behind. But it's a big community and I'm sure challenging, to say the least.

Some people are OK with just having their thoughts acknowledged. Others aren't unless the "I read this" is followed up by "and we did/are doing something". Some people would rather us say nothing than post as I am now unless there is a hard answer to something. Others like just knowing we're here.

I would much rather be visible (when I can be) in little ways than be invisible for long streaks of time– though I often need to be since my job is much larger than posting here. I do miss getting to speak with you all more often, but I'm doing a lot of behind the scenes work that (hopefully) results in you getting information too as well as relaying information to the developers. There's a lot of planning, excel sheets, project tracking, meetings, writing, etc. that happens on a daily basis.

You know what might go a long way to ease the tensions and nerves of the posters with good threads (or any threads, really)? A check box on the Blue Poster's version of the forum where they can indicate the thread was read by them without typing out a reply. Anybody who jumps onto the thread would see the flag at the top of the original post (Oh, a blue saw this!) and know that they weren't ignored or forgotten. You could even set it to auto-populate the flag when you click the link if you were so inclined.

Granted, I'm sure you read most, if not all posts over time, but this would be attract a more psychological response from others rather than them being left to assume and/or think the worst.
The only problem with the "this has been read by a blue" flags would be that people would say, "This was read by a blue but they didn't say anything! No response! When do we get a response?" etc.

Sometimes we "blue" things by responding so people know we were there, but again, that has it's own issues. There's no "perfect" system, but we will keep doing what we can. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

? about 6.2.3. Baleful: created between 655 - 695, increments of 5. No more upgrade token, or what will it do?
It will work the same way it does currently, and set the item's level to 695. (WarcraftDevs)

The Wrath Timewalking Plate Item Gauntlets of the Kraken is suppose to have 286 Stam,it says 274 Stam for level 100 ilvl 675 stat budget. Please check into this to verify this is indeed a number error. #TY
This will be fixed in 6.2.3, thanks for the bug report! (WarcraftDevs)

It’s a big month! A little gathering called BlizzCon will pack November to the brim with World of Warcraft revelations, announcements, videos to watch, new goodies to acquire, and the pinnacle of WoW esports. You’re not going to want to miss November!

In-Game Events

Day of the Dead [November 1-3]
Can you feel it? The spirit world draws close during the Day of the Dead. This is why we decorate the graves of our dearly departed with flowers and candles and offerings: to welcome them back, even if only for a time.

Purchase some Orange Marigolds from Chapman and use them to see the otherwise invisible spirits waiting in graveyards. Bake (or buy) some Bread of the Dead and give it to a Cheerful Spirit to kick off the Grateful Dead quest and unlock a new pet, the Macabre Marrionette – which you can only get during this event.

Darkmoon Faire Returns [November 1-7]
The wondrous and mystical Darkmoon Faire returns to Azeroth on November 1, and if you haven’t completed all of Silas Darkmoon’s new Darkmoon Races, now’s the time! Test your speed and agility on a variety of racing mounts as you dodge electrifying obstacles and zip all over Darkmoon Island for rewards and achievements. You may also want to take a few moments to be a kid again by going for a ride on the new Darkmoon Seesaw.

The faire continues to be one of the best ways to acquire heirloom gear, and don’t forget all of the toys, mounts, and pets that can only be gotten here. Get in that cannon!

WoW’s 11^th Anniversary [November 23]
The World of Warcraft Anniversary celebrates Azeroth's heroes dedication to protecting and preserving their world. Whether you are an honorable Tauren, a brawny Orc, a crafty Gnome, or a resourceful Human, we appreciate your continued support! We hope to see you around for many years to come!

Pilgrim’s Bounty [November 23-30]
Even during hard times, the Pilgrim’s Bounty celebration emerges across the lands of Azeroth, bringing with it the opportunity to reflect and give thanks for the nourishment the land has provided. This season is the perfect occasion to brush up on your cooking skills while sharing in a veritable cornucopia of delicious offerings found on the communal dining tables located outside capital cities. There’s also no better time to go on a wild turkey hunt, or, should wild turkeys prove too elusive, transform friend and foe into tasty turkey targets.

It's a time for reflecting on your journeys and good fortune and sharing plentiful food and stories with friends. You can partake in wonderful Pilgrim's Bounty feasts near major towns by sitting at a Bountiful Table and enjoying the food!

World of Warcraft Esports

Road to BlizzCon: WoW Arena World Championship
The time has come. This is it. BlizzCon is where you’ll get to watch the Global Finals of the World of Warcraft 3v3 Arena World Championship. One team will stand victorious and take home the lion’s share of a $250,000 prize pool and the title of BlizzCon 2015 Arena champions.

The Opening Week action begins at 1:30 p.m. PDT on Friday, October 30, and continues at that same time on Saturday, October 31. The final rounds at BlizzCon get underway as Noon PST on Friday, November 6, and continue at 3:00 p.m. PST on Saturday, November 7. Be sure to tune in to our free live stream on the official BlizzCon website.

Bonus Events

• November 4-9: Draenor Dungeon Bonus Event
• November 11-16: Pet Battle Bonus Event
• November 18-23: Burning Crusade Bonus Event
• November 25-30: Apexis Bonus Event

Last Month In WoW
Among the many interesting happenings in October, we couldn’t help but take special notice of the annual Running of the Gnomes. Event organizer Dravvie tells us that over 2400 people gathered on the Scarlet Crusade (NA) realm, created new Gnome characters, and then ran from Gnomeregan to Booty Bay. From there, they all went on to Orgrimmar. Check out these pictures of the event:


Along the way, over $3,400 was raised for the Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer Program. That’s impressive! Our thanks go out to everyone who sent in a heads up about it.

What’s happening in November that you’d like us to highlight? Let us know in the comments below.