Posted originally on WoW.com


Twilight Highlands and Uldum aren't technically open yet in the Cataclysm beta, but when have invisible walls ever stopped someone who really wanted to get into a zone? Resourceful tester Lemon King sends us these monster galleries of questing through both zones, although both are unfinished (especially Uldum). Even so, they look beautiful, and there are some nice surprises in the quests. Obviously, spoilers abound!



Check out the galleries by clicking below.

Gallery: Cataclysm beta: Twilight Highlands... [Read More]

Posted originally on WoW.com




Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host, Matt Low, the grand pooh-bah of World of Matticus, is on vacation. Today, Allison Robert pens advice concerning recruitment policy that you would probably be better off not reading.



Unlike Dawn, I did not consult Matt Low prior to writing this article, because he would have told me to quit screwing around and write something helpful. I think we can all agree this serves as an important lesson to all WoW.com columnists -- namely, going on vacation leaves your column to the mercy of people like me.



Healers, like nuclear fission, are prone to instability and drama. This is perhaps understandable because the rest of the guild holds us responsible for the collapse of fishery stocks,... [Read More]

Posted originally on WoW.com


Every week, we present you with the WoW Insider Show podcast -- an hour's worth of WoW community discussion, covering everything from the week's top stories here on WoW.com to emails from our readers to what's been going on with our particular characters in Azeroth.



Along with your hosts, WoW.com Senior Editor Michael Sacco and Contributing Editors Matthew Rossi and Mat McCurley, we also feature rotating guest hosts, whether regular WoW.com contributors or personalities from other sites. And this week we're pleased to announce that Mat McCurley will start being considered a regular host of the show!



Want to have your question answered on the air? Email theshow@wow.com!



Get the podcast:



[iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW... [Read More]

Posted originally on WoW.com




Buff(ing) for BlizzCon is a bi-weekly fitness series written by ShrinkGeek authors Rafe Brox and Michael McGreevy. Join the WoW.com team in getting in shape for the ultimate WoW geek event: BlizzCon 2010.



BlizzCon is still three months away, but convention season is in full swing. The San Diego Comic-Con ended a few days ago, and in the seemingly endless days that stretch out between now and Blizzardpalooza, there are several huge conventions that may be occupying your time. I'll be leaving next week for Gen Con, and a month after that you'll be able to find Rafe and me (along with a large handful of staffers from Massively) at Dragon*Con. I often wonder if we geeks have not subconsciously scheduled some of the biggest conventions of the year over the summer months as a result of the countless dull hours in our youth because we... [Read More]

Posted originally on WoW.com



The latest Cataclysm screenshot from Blizzard is shown above. There was some consternation yesterday about a Twilight joke. I apologize for that, and instead offer up today's image, or a brunette nearby apples. At night, in a neckbaring dress.



If you've missed any of the previous Cataclysm screenshots of the day or you want to see a high-res version of today's image, check out the gallery below.



Gallery: Cataclysm Daily Screenshots... [Read More]

Posted originally on WorldofWarcraft.com


Our Concept Art gallery has been updated with two new pieces.

Posted originally on WoW.com


The release of StarCraft II brought about a surprise for the observant player -- an object in the cantina of ship that lets you play an arcade game called Lost Viking right in StarCraft II. This is a fun little shooter that's a cross between Asteroids and Space Invaders (Alex tells me it's a lot like Touhou, although I've never played that) and easily took up an hour of my night. Just the kind of thing to do while waiting for a raid to begin.



The name of the game is a nod to an original Blizzard game called The Lost Vikings which was released back in 1994. In that game, you are a Viking and have to find your way home as you escape the evil Tomator. In the StarCraft II arcade game, you're a mighty Viking on a ship and must fight your way back to Vikingville. And watch out for the evil Terra-Tron; he does not like you!!!



I hope that Blizzard sees this game as a success and includes a minigame like this in Cataclysm. Something that can be accessed from the... [Read More]

Posted originally on WoW.com


This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com.



We're all getting ready for Deathwing and his sundering of the world by raiding the last few bosses of ICC, jumping into the Ruby Sanctum and beating it until it turns into a broken loot box, and leveling our alts. I, for one, have been focusing on the latter. My 80s are geared appropriately for the level 80-85 zones that are coming in Cataclysm, and I believe I'm pretty well prepared. I have enough gear to get into ICC hard mode runs to pass the time if I get really bored, but other than that, I'm focusing on leveling my baby shaman and paladin in preparation for Cataclysm and the old world changes.



If you're not doing any of that, then you're probably hitting one of the game's many meta-games. Gold farming, achievement grinding, rep grinding, mount grinding ... pretty much any kind of grinding there is to be done is a popular option in the calm before the Cataclysm. A huge gold pool... [Read More]

Posted originally on WoW.com


The horror ... the horror. Beta tester Dendaris of <Empire> on Eldre'Thalas sent in this screenshot with a bloodstained note attached: 'Having slain a dwarven paratrooper, my goblin warrior took a moment to survey the frantic battlefield around him. The fiery sunset served as the perfect backdrop for the Alliance planes flying overhead.'

Gallery: Around Azeroth... [Read More]

Posted originally on WoW.com




Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Spiritual Guidance, hosted by Fox Van Allen, consort to the shadows. Don't mind any distracting grunting you hear coming from under the floor boards. Dawn Moore isn't buried alive underneath there, I promise. She just needed to take today off. You know. For ... um ... I dunno, I think she's one of the Hollywood Squares this week. Who cares, whatever, she's gone.



Oh, hello shadow priests. Please come in. Shut the door behind you.



Have a seat. We need to talk.



I've been hearing rumors on wowpopular.com about your top major glyph choices, and frankly, I'm concerned. It's telling me that the Glyph of Shadow Word: Pain is the most popular for shadow priests. Madness! And my god, are you really casting ... [Read More]