#SaveWoWInsider (Updated 2.4.15: Saved)

Cover letter from second WoW Insider application (click to enlarge)

Update 2.3.15: Now you can save WoW Insider! Well, you can at least be a part of the next step.

Update 2.4.15: Blizzard Watch, the next venture for the staff formerly at WoW Insider, has surpassed its first three tiers of fundraising goals.

I can't even remember when or how I first discovered WoW Insider. All I know is that it was a long time ago. What I can say is since that first visit, I've returned on a near-daily basis. The Queue is something I look forward to reading every single day, and I'm pretty confident when I say I haven't missed an edition of The Queue since I first started reading. I'm one of those people for whom The Queue can be "late" if it isn't posted in the AM.

WoW Insider has consistently been a source for all things Warcraft, and really, continues to be a great source for all things Blizzard. I'd like it to remain that way. When I learned about the all-but-confirmed rumors about AOL shuttering the Joystiq family of sites, I was dismayed. I won't pretend to know about the finances that drive a decision like this; companies regularly cut services that aren't performing to standards. As far as I know, only AOL knows what those numbers look like; at least, if anyone else knows they aren't able to say.

In the corporate world, they'll look at a site like WoW Insider and determine it's value. Value, in this sense, is profit. However, a visitor to the site defines value in much different terms. I know that I'll find Warcraft news and analysis in a singular place, written by people I've grown to trust over the years. People who I consider a part of my life even if I'm not a known part of theirs. Most importantly, WoW Insider functions as a rallying place for the community where ideas can be freely shared and debated. That's value to me.

It's because of WoW Insider that I met hundreds of WoW players I hadn't known before. I wouldn't have this blog if it weren't for WoW Insider: this space began as a holding tank for the posts I submitted the second time I applied for a position at WoW Insider. I enjoyed the process of it, so even after rejection I chose to continue filling this space. The pet battling guides which brought over 1,000 visitors daily throughout MoP and much of WoD wouldn't exist were it not for WoW Insider. The hundreds of pets I've given to enthusiastic pet battlers over the last few years is a direct result of WoW Insider's existence.

#SaveJoystiq is trending nationally again.
— Adam Holisky (@AdamHolisky) January 27, 2015

I'm not going to pretend that a hashtag/letter-writing/boycotting campaign is going to give us the result we're looking for. If the rumors are realized, and our worst fear confirmed, there's not much we can say to AOL that would change their minds. We can yell "Hey! We like this! We find this valuable!" All they need to counter with is the bottom line, one that's in the red or not far enough into the black. Not profitable.

So where that leaves anyone, who knows. Until we get official word, none of us on the outside can truly tell what will transpire. However, the community does have the power to take things into their own hands should the worst happen. Sites like WoWhead, Ask Mr. Robot, Curse, Warcraft Pets, and others offer a substantial amount of a free content to the community, with additional benefits to people who pay a small subscription fee. I subscribe to, or have donated to each of the sites above because I find their content valuable and want to ensure they remain a resource for the community.

I can't say whether or not something like that would be feasible in sustaining WoW Insider for very long, if at all. But if we do have a shot at #SaveWoWInsider using our own means, we owe it to the folks there---and ourselves---to give it a try.

Additional bloggers talking about this:

Sportsbard
Alternative Chat
Apple Cider Mage
Exodar Sisters
Liopleurodonic

Things to do Before Warlords of Draenor

With a couple of months left before the Warlords of Draenor release, many people might be running out of things to do in game. This post was inspired by Mr. and Mrs. WoW's blog post asking for players' three favorite things about WoW, or things you like to do in-game, especially as it relates to the down time we have before Warlords of Draenor releases. Here are some activities to consider if you're still enjoying the game full force, but would like something different to do.

Warbringer Farming

There are five Zandalari Warbringer spawn points located throughout Pandaria, and the mobs themselves tend to respawn anywhere between 30 and 50 minutes after they've been killed. Many classes can handle the warbringers with relative ease, and nearly any damage-dealing class in Normal+ SoO gear should be able to solo them. They drop rep tokens (which can be useful for alts), two kinds of bags with supplies to use or sell, and in rare instances, one of three mounts: Jade, Amber, and Slate Primordial Direhorns.

If I'm in a group I'll generally head to the spawn point in Kun Lai while my partner heads to Jade Forest, with them looping back if the mob is up in Kun Lai. Then, hearth to the Shrine and strike out again, one to Townlong and one to Dread Wastes. Finish up in Krasarang and repeat the loop, if you are so inclined. If you pay attention to spawn times and there's not much competition out there, it's possible to travel from kill to kill to kill with little time spent waiting for respawns.

Riches of Pandaria & Glorious!

Both of these achievements have you seeking out things. Tucked-away artifacts to find for the former, NPCs to kill for the latter. If you're max level you shouldn't encounter too many issues with the mobs for Glorious. Riches simply takes a bit of time; the nice thing is you'll get a hefty chunk of gold throughout the course of completing these, plus the chance at rare and vanity items from some of the mobs.

Given that we're at the tail end of this expansion, competition for mobs and treasures should be at an all-time low. Some addons you might want to check out to make this even easier: NPCScan, Finders & Riches, TomTom.

Isle of Giants

This can be rough as a solo player unless you're decently geared. Best bet is to find a friend or two who's also interested in farming 9,999 dinosaur bones and make the rounds til you get bored. I've been working on this slowly since the Isle went live, oftentimes chunking my gathering sessions into 500-bone blocks. Generally in the course of each farming session I'll loot a few battle pets and a Primal Egg, which will hatch into one of  three mounts (Black, Red, or Green Primal Raptor) three days later.

WoW Insider Did You Miss

I missed two of the three objectives listed by WoW Insider so far in their...writeups...series...thing... Whatever it is. This week I'll bust out the crate of rodents for the raid team so they can grab the Sumprush Rodent, as it's a pet many people haven't acquired because of the logistics involved in earning it. I also nabbed the Lobstmourne fist weapon. Because transmog. That one was a lot of fun and made me wish I'd discovered it organically while questing in Pandaria like I had with Old Man Thistle's Lost Treasure.

Farm a Legendary

There may still be enough time to earn a legendary from one of the previous expansions if RNG works in your favor. Here's a list of all the pre-Pandaria legendaries in the game. Please excuse the presence of the Tempest Keep legendary weapons---I couldn't figure out how to filter them out. The easier items don't involve longer quest chains: Thunderfury is relatively simple once you're lucky enough to have both bindings drop, and both Thori'dal and the Warglaives are rare drops from Burning Crusade raid bosses, and can be farmed weekly.

Try Something New

Maybe there's an aspect of the game you haven't delved into. Perhaps that's a conscious decision! For me, it's PvP. I just don't get into it very often. Personal preference, that's all. What about pet battles? Easy to get into, but difficult to become an expert. Maybe you've never filled out a character history sheet for your main. If you're looking for something to do before Warlords, there's really no better time to try something new.

#10Years10Questions: Part 3

#10Years10Questions is brought to you buy @AlternativeChat. Answer these questions yourself at her blog. Oh, and if interested, here's Parts 1 & 2. 

7. How long have you /played and has that been continuous?
I've logged about two year's played time across all of my characters, and yes, that has been continuous. The amount of time I play each week tends to ebb and flow with life, but I've had a consistent, recurring subscription since 2006, and I can't remember going a full week without logging on. 

I know, that might seem excessive, but it's been a source of enjoyment since I first picked up the game and I don't regret the time I've spent. Not at all. Even when I add up all of the money I've spent on the franchise (subscriptions, server transfers, faction changes, expansions, shop items, and Blizzcon trips), it's an amount I can justify, especially when considering what I feel I've gotten out of the whole experience. 

8. Admit it: do you read quest text or not?
I do, though this wasn't always the case. In Vanilla and the Burning Crusade, I didn't have a good sense of the overarching story, partially because I wasn't paying close attention, and partially because I was oblivious to the deep history of the franchise and how it related to the events of WoW and its first expansion. 

Wrath of the Lich King finally pulled me into the story and I began to read all of the text quest, and have made that my habit the first time I level through new content. I have not yet gone back to finish the Cataclysm quests they added to Vanilla content, though I intend to someday. 

I'm absolutely stoked for Warlords, and as wacky as the time-travel stuff can get, I think it has the potential to be one of the best stories players have seen.  

9. Are there any regrets from your time in game?
Part of me wishes I would've gotten into the social aspect of the game a little earlier than I had, especially when it comes to Vanilla and BC, but overall no regrets that nag at me. WoW in its infancy was a one-time thing, now long gone. Though I was an active subscriber at the time, I didn't have a grasp on everything that was going on. I wasn't aware of how special it could be, and how special it would eventually become.

I've made some bad decisions with unforeseen consequences that may have affected some of the people I played with, but I'd like to think I've learned from those and apply that knowledge moving forward, in game and in life. It's amazing how guild management can parallel management in the real world.

Oh! Also, I abandoned a quest in the Hand of A'dal line during the Wrath of the Lich King expansion to make room for other quests before I knew what I was doing. Then they removed the ability to earn that title from the game. I totally regret that. 

10. What effect has Warcraft had on your life outside gaming?
It's definitely broadened my perspective on life, believe it or not, mainly through the people I've met in-game and throughout the community. Truly, they are more diverse than my own close circle of friends. So there's that.

In college, it helped me prioritize and learn to manage my time.

Then there's the challenges in managing and communicating effectively with a group who have allied together, while the motivations and desires of those within may vary wildly. There's always so much to learn and apply elsewhere.

I've learned a lot about group dynamics; about how five seemingly innocuous words can be interpreted on a spectrum; how something not important to me can be the most important to thing to someone else and how no one has to be wrong in the matter. It's helped me hone my communication and critical thinking skills. 

Leading raids taught me to first know my stuff before getting into the thick of things, to be alert and aware in a rapidly-changing environment. To make snap-judgement decisions in a stressful situation based on all the information you're able to glean over the course of a second or two.

Most importantly I have met life-long friends through this game, friends who won't disappear like their characters will the day servers go dark.

#10Years10Questions: Part 2

#10Years10Questions is brought to you by the wonderful @AlternativeChat. Head on over to her blog and answer the questions yourself! If you missed it and are interested, check out Part One.

What has been your most memorable moment in Warcraft and why?
Without a doubt, it was killing Arthas with a guild group while the fight was still current. 

See, I was mostly a solo player throughout Vanilla and the Burning Crusade, absolutely clueless and completely satisfied. I did think dungeons were the coolest thing, and I had no issues spending hours in General or Trade assembling a group. Raiding, though, didn't really exist in my universe.

My raid history prior to Wrath of the Lich King:

• Two or three invites to Molten Core during Vanilla. I don't think I ever participated in a boss kill, but my warlock did get a tier BoE.
• One invite to Magtheridon's layer during the Burning Crusade. I was targeting one of the summoners around the ring as the raid leader explained the strategy and mistakenly hit my interrupt key. This started the encounter and I was removed from the group amid a couple of choice words before I could see if the raid wiped or recovered (they probably wiped). 
• A few invites to Karazhan runs; that's the experience that really whet my appetite for raiding.

I never had the luxury of being in a group that cleared Karazhan, but I joined several pugs and even ran with the guild group on a few occasions. My raiding memories from Vanilla are mostly gah what the hell is going on! but with Kara, I thought the place was absolutely bizarre...and I at least understood more about boss mechanics, thanks to BC Heroic dungeons. I wanted to survive long enough to see the rest of it, and surmised that there were probably other mystifying places like this in-game that I've never seen. 

That guild fell apart near the end of the Burning Crusade, but I knew what I wanted to do: raid. By that time, I'd finished college and was working days. I had other responsibilities that I wouldn't abandon in order to free up evenings for raiding. That left a rather unpopular time slot: weekend mornings. Searching that keyword in the forums often yielded months-old posts, but not many hits overall---mostly people looking for that experience.

But perseverance paid off; if it hadn't, I'm not sure I'd be playing the game today. I found a good fit on a different server roughly halfway through the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. In short order, we were in Ice Crown Citadel slowly chipping our way towards Arthas. 

The Lich King fell on a Saturday morning a week or two before the Cataclysm pre-patch. We'd been working on him for several weeks; we had the strategy down, it was just a matter of all ten of us executing perfectly. And on that attempt, puddles didn't enlarge, no one died to Enraged Spirits or Val'kyr. The Lich King "wiped" the raid at 10% health, and of course we knew what that meant. The raid was resurrected and we finished him. Arthas' dying moments began to play across the screen in the closing cinematic.

Thankfully my vent was push-to-talk, because that's when I started bawling. Absolute, unrestrained weeping.

I suppose there were a lot of things going on in my mind right then. To do something fun, something challenging, something that took work and a significant level of concentration alongside a group of others all aligned to the same goal was exhilarating---and still relatively new to me when it came to gaming. I've "beat" games before, but it meant so much more to me to do it as part of a team. I discovered the invaluable nature of the second "M" in MMO.

That's me. Off the right shoulder of the blood elf, circa 2009. And the hovering tree still heals in the raid today.

What is your favourite aspect of the game and has this always been the case? More broadly, I focus almost exclusively on PvE content. I enjoy questing and lore (at least the first time through), achievements, collectible items, pet battles---from what I can tell, I'm going to totally get into garrisons in Warlords of Draenor. I'll dabble in PvP from time to time, but I've consistently come across the worst of player attitudes there and as a result stay away most of the time. Warlords should be interesting given that I'll be leveling on one of the most populated RP-PVP servers out there. 

Out of PvE activities, raiding is my favorite as you probably guessed from my response to the first question. 

Weeeeeee!

6. Do you have an area in game that you always return to?
Yeah, Molten Friggin' Core in search of the other half of those damned bindings! Dalaran would probably be a candidate; if my characters' hearthstones are set to somewhere other than the Shrine or their farm, it's Dalaran. I've always liked the compact layout of the city and the fact that you're literally floating up among the clouds. It gives a totally different feel to the atmosphere. 

Another area I return to on occasion is "inside" the rock pillar in Orgimmar that can only be accessed by "wall jumping" or whatever the term is where you cause your character to break through a wall barrier and run under/behind the world. You can get inside this pillar and fly up it; your character can't be seen from the outside, and near the top there's little hovel carved out with a little memorial placed by Blizzard. Kind of a neat reminder about all of the things that go into this game that players never see or think about.

#10Years10Questions: Part 1

#10Years10Questions is an effort started by the lovely @AlternativeChat. She's asking you to talk about your Warcraft history, whether currently subscribed or a one-time player. Head over to her blog and share your history!

Why did you start playing Warcraft?
It was sort of an odd series of events that lead me into Azeroth. It was May or June of 2005, and I was about to start my final year of college. A then-bandmate of mine picked up World of Warcraft and suggested I try it out. I'd seen and heard enough about the game to accept his offer to test-drive it. I do remember bits and pieces from that 45-minute-long play session, including the character that I chose, but I'll get into that in the next question.

Shortly after trying out the game, I found myself in a local game shop with my step-brother. He was looking for something new to play, and a couple of recently released MMOs were garnering positive reviews. He turned to me with a game box in each hand and asked, "Guild Wars, or World of Warcraft?"

"Definitely Warcraft," I said. There was some back and forth about having to pay a subscription, since Guild Wars didn't require one of its players. "It'll be better," I said, "because you're paying extra for it every month."  I think there was a "just trust me" in there, too (I had no idea what I was doing). In the end, he trusted me. 

One of the first characters I played for any length of time, circa November 2005. I lost access to the shared account this rogue was on shortly after this was snapped. As you can also see, this is before I discovered addons. Look at those bags!

By the end of that summer, the long-term relationship I was in had dissolved. And no, I know what you're thinking: the breakup had nothing to do with World of Warcraft. In fact, I hadn't played since the first time I'd tried it at my friend's house earlier that summer. I ended up moving to a nearby city to share a flat with my step-brother and two others. To my surprise, they were all playing Warcraft. 

By fall, I was sharing an account with the two other roommates, a couple who had an account together. It was my senior year of college, meaning I had quite a bit of free time while the owners of the account both worked day jobs. Thus, the game was mine during the daytime hours. However, they were planning to move into a place of their own by the end of the year, meaning my days of account-sharing were numbered.

It was time to take things into my own hands. In January of 2006, I went back to that local game shop and purchased my own copy of World of Warcraft. I've had an active subscription ever since.

What was the first ever character you rolled?
The first character I rolled would technically be the one that I used to check out the game for the first time at my friend's house in 2005. In retrospect, I cannot fathom what pushed me to make the choice that I did. Probably naivety, for the most part: simply not knowing about what the choices meant. It was clear that there were two sides in this game, but other than one faction looking distinctly uglier and meaner than the other, I had no clue what all when into the history of their interactions. 

For whatever reason, I settled on a dwarf. For class, I went with hunter; again, I cannot remember why I went this route. If I had to guess, I chose hunter because of the promise of getting a pet. 

I remember being enamored with just how large the world seemed when I finally got inside and started the opening quests. Keep in mind this large world was confined to the dwarven starting area---I had absolutely no idea how large the world really was. I also had absolutely no idea how large the world would become. 

Strangely, to this day the hunter class is the only class I cannot get into no matter how I try. My most-famous hunter was level 76. Whether he's famous for being my highest-level hunter or because he's the highest-level character I've ever deleted...you decide.

Meet Carlyja circa February 2006. This is the first character I rolled on my own account, started in January of 2006. I've learned how to hide the user interface by this time. I still play this character today.

Which factors determined your faction choice in game?
As a rule I tend to shy away from characters that seem too human when I play fantasy-adventure games. After all, I get to be a human every day! I also have a tendency to side with the underdogs, especially if there's a good vs. bad dichotomy taking place. It has nothing to do with being a bad person (I hope) or thinking myself a badass; rather, it's refreshing to not have to follow the "good guys" around everywhere. 

When it came to Warcraft, I went into it with no lore background. From the character creation screen it was clear to me there were two factions, but beyond that the factions had no meaning behind them. As I mentioned above, I rolled a dwarf that first time, and once I was sharing accounts, I spent my time between a human warlock and an orc rogue (the latter pictured above). 

Then, once I had my own account, I chose to make my human warlock undead by re-rolling a Forsaken warlock. The choice to create a Horde character stuck with me, and I soon learned there could be benefits to having multiple characters of the same faction on the same realm. While I absolutely loved everything about Stormwind City during Vanilla, it wasn't enough to hold my allegiance. Horde it was, and would be, forever. 

Still, I'm not a die-hard "For the" faction type of guy anymore. I used to be, but after really delving into Warcraft lore over the years, I see the situation in Azeroth as being very nuanced. I respect both factions and know there's good story no matter which side you're on. But with so many years and characters invested in the Horde, seeing me on an Alliance toon will continue to be a rare sight. 

Part Two later this week! In the mean time, head over to Alternative Chat's blog and answer these questions for yourself if you haven't already.

Level-scaling in WoW: bring it on, but keep it optional

He's just looking for a quick clear.

This week, WoW Insider features the following community blog topic: Should characters be scaled to low-level content? The question is in response to a recently released video that seems to show a level 90 being scaled down to level 40ish -- both items and attributes -- after entering Stratholme. While the community response was understandably skeptical, the video appears to be authentic: Legendary's Pat Krane mentioned that he was able to replicate the scaling on one occasion.

As a whole, I think the idea is wonderful and am a bit surprised something like this wasn't implemented long ago. Good news is, a feature like this indicates Blizzard plans on the game being around for awhile. I think we can all celebrate that. At the same time, I think it needs to be implemented in a certain way, being careful so as not to upset the ability for players to solo old content for their own purposes. The novelty of being able to scale down to a friend's level and run some dungeons will wear off quickly, unless there are relevant rewards for the high-level player. I'm anticipating an announcement at Blizzcon on this very topic, and am looking forward to seeing where they'll take it.

Keep it optional

I'm a collector. Achievements, mounts, pets, mounts and pets for achievements -- you know what I'm saying. I had a stable of maxed toons killing Attumen on a weekly basis until the Fiery Warhorse's Reins were in my possession. Clearing Stratholme became a science: I'd managed to figure out how to kill Aurius Rivendare twenty times in just over an hour. And I'm still cycling five characters into the Eye each week, and will continue to do so until Kael'thas drops that damn phoenix.

Blizzard would be committing a terrible mistake if they took the soloing option away from players. I know I'd be disappointed. To me, soloing old content is also a measure of your character's power and progression, and not just a means to an end. If suddenly all content, from Vanilla through the most current expansion, was challenging no matter what level a player was at, it might seem like characters are stagnant. Plus, soloing old content has been something players have been doing since the beginning of the game. Whether for transmog items, pets, mounts, or the challenge itself, the choice should be up to the player whether they want to breeze through the old content quickly for their own purposes, or if they'd like to experience the content as level-appropriate.

Reward me, baby

How often do you run low-level friends through dungeons with a high-level toon? For me, the answer is occasionally. Even then, from a gameplay standpoint it's really not a whole lot of fun for either party: the mobs literally bounce off of the maxed toon while the lowbie tries to keep up in between looting all of the corpses. The lowbie earns less experience overall in this method, and the maxed toon will likely earn next to nothing.

Level scaling is a cool idea by itself, but I think there still needs to be an incentive for the max-level player. Some sort of reward that is beneficial to them. Perhaps a bit of Valor. Maybe it's a satchel with the chance for rare goods. Maybe it's the currency of the day. Regardless, there should be some sort of relevant reward. Additionally, if an 88 were to scale down to run with a 44, I'd hope the 88 would earn XP, too.

I think it's pretty safe to assume we'll be getting this feature in the near future, and it'll be pretty hard for Blizzard to screw it up.

WoW Insider Community Blog Topic: What's your most and least favorite expansions?

Fresh on tap: my opinions! Free pat on the head if you can name the beer I'm pouring above.

People have differing tastes. For instance, I can't stand beets. My SO, on the other hand, doesn't mind them at all. Now, there's nothing wrong with beets on their own. There's also nothing wrong with someone else's affinity for beets. A ton of factors may come into play when explaining the why's and the how's, but she can't fault me for not liking beets, and I can't fault her for liking them.

Same goes for WoW expansions. This week doesn't ask for the best and worst WoW expansions (how would one even qualify that, anyway), but rather your favorite/least favorite WoW expansion. Which one you liked/disliked the most. So there are no controversial or wrong answers here. If you liked Cataclysm the most, don't worry about satisfying other players' incredulity by trying to explain the why's. Your reasons are good enough for you.

I've loved each expansion for what they were, some more than others. But this week's top asks for the favorite and the least favorite. And my reasoning for the choices. Here goes...

Favorite: The Burning Crusade

I wasn't a progression raider, nor a top-tier PvPer. Having started my WoW journey less than a year before the Burning Crusade was released, I considered myself pretty wet behind the ears. I was stoked that was could fly (though I, along with Ghostcrawler, wonder whether that was the right move). It was the expansion where I first asked the question: what does it mean when people say 'hit-capped?' I was fortunate enough to find a Kara pug or two.

Then, there was the whole pre-expansion event that told players something was definitely happening, that this world was indeed much, much larger than Azeroth---for me, this world was already big enough! This expansion also came before the Looking-for-Everything random grouping tools that were introduced in WotLK and Cataclysm. Oh! You needed keys in order to access heroic-level dungeons. And those dungeons were an actual challenge, and though not quite on-par with the difficulty level of MoP Challenge Modes, they most definitely required more coordination and player skill when compared to the average heroic dungeon in MoP.

While in principle, the "everyone, all-access, all-the-time" approach sounds good, in practice I find it quite ugly. BC wasn't simply hitting max level, equipping a set of PvP gear, the pressing a button to queue for a heroic. You had to work a little to get to the content. Prove yourself, even. And there was some sense of accomplishment in that, I'd argue. Also, when you grouped with others for a heroic Hellfire Ramparts it was safe to assume they, like you, had been around the block.

I also unknowingly began my slow journey to gold-cap during the Burning Crusade when I began to sell Arcanite Bars with reckless abandon. I suppose with the Burning Crusade, I learned a lot about the game that I hadn't before, as well as had my first small taste of end-game content. And I loved it. While I could've easily written as much about why WotLK was my favorite expansion, when I really sit down and think about it, the Burning Crusade still had me in that special state of awe only a true, genuine noob can experience. And there's something about that I dearly, dearly miss.

Least Favorite: I don't have one

I've been sitting here for the past hour and a half trying to put this post together and can't come up with anything valid for this section. Perhaps noteworthy is that I originally chose WotLK as my favorite expansion, albeit for different reasons altogether. But both my favorite and my original least-favorite had been deemed so based on the nature of one aspect of the game: the positive social interaction I experienced within each expansion.

See, I don't think there's anything Blizzard can do to make a "best" expansion again. The "why" is the same reason I originally chose MoP as my least-favorite expansion: the random-grouping tools in-game have made community building rare, perhaps a thing of the past. In fact, it turns out that some people pay (or have mommy, daddy, or a significant other pay) a monthly fee so they can work towards making other people's in-game lives as unpleasant and uncomfortable as possible. 

Until Blizzard does something about the trollish, hateful and vitriolic aspect of the player-base, I don't think I'll ever enjoy an expansion like I did Burning Crusade. Having to shout in trade to fill that last dungeon slot, or finishing a grind to gain access to heroic-level dungeons (or raids) via a key were most definitely, at times, pains-in-the-ass. But it did foster a sense of community. You were tethered to your server (barring a costly transfer), which meant your reputation could actually matter. Was I perhaps labeled as "Clueless" in the Burning Crusade? Surely, but I made sure not to make the "Asshole" list. 

Granted, there's still a vibrant, awesome community in this game, I'm aware. I participate in a section of it on Twitter and at WoW Insider. This year at Blizzcon, not only am I eagerly awaiting news of Warcraft's new expansion, but I'm hoping Blizzard also addresses what they have in mind for the sub-section of the player-base who can't seem to contribute anything positive to their fellow players. Following a 6-month subscription renewal this summer, I removed my credit card info from battle.net. My time is up come January 2014, and any return may very well depend on what Blizzard has to say about an issue that's becoming increasingly important to me. 

My tolerance for the dredges of humanity being able to foment general unpleasantness in Azeroth is reaching its breaking point. Don't get me wrong; I still love the game dearly. I'm just a little sad to think that my best days in WoW are far, far behind me. 

WoW Insider Community Blog Topic: Would you play on an expansion-specific server?

My god, yes.

Though it'd most likely be a novelty, I'd still welcome it. It might even be a clever way to give the game some additional life if/when WoW goes free-to-play, or after Blizzard releases the final expansion.

See, I was literally and happily a noob for all of Vanilla and the vast majority of the Burning Crusade. WoW introduced to me two very large and previously unknown concepts: MMO & RPG. Turns out I had played a couple of games on consoles that could be considered RPGs, but I didn't think of them that way. Nope. I spent 30 minutes in Azeroth one afternoon and was astounded. My prior experience didn't leave room in my brain to properly understand everything I was seeing on the screen, and what the game entailed. The vastness of the world, the game play, the variety---it was enough to keep me distracted for a very, very long time. Long enough to not fully understand what end-game raiding was all about until two expansions later.

Aside from seeing the raids when level-appropriate, I'm sure I glossed over all lot of lore, some of which is now lost with the events of the Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria. I wouldn't mind at all having the option to revisit the "old content" as it was. Can I imagine a server where the max level player was 60, while the Burning Crusade hadn't yet happened? I sure can. I could see having a 60 and a 70 to revisit the raid content from time to time. Though I don't think it'd become a main focus in terms of my play, it's a feature I would absolutely love to have.

link: WoW Insider Post

WoW Insider Community Blog Topic: 3 features I wish WoW had

What features would I add to WoW? I'm glad answering that question isn't part of my day job. So much to balance in the struggle of nice-to-have vs. objectively beneficial. One might think that, after having spent over seven years in Azeroth, I'd have more to offer in this department. Sure, I could suggest Blizzard never ties daily quests to progression rewards as long as there's activity on those sturdy 'ol servers, entertain the idea of placing cooldowns on flying mounts, or draft a list of ideas for improving the LFR experience.

But each of those ideas affect a rather small portion of the overall game. I look at my own experience: I'm a long-time player who enjoys nearly every aspect of the game, including progression raids, pet battles, achievement hunting, alt-leveling, gold making, and PvP. I'm also currently guildless and, for the moment, cut off from folks I've played with for the last few years. Consequently, I spend a lot of time doing random activities and right-clicking names in /Trade.

So I settled on features that would, in theory, facilitate a more positive player experience for me. Right now. Me me me me me. It's all about me.

Level scaling

While I'm tempted to argue for doing away with player levels altogether, I get lost too easily---maybe that won't work in WoW, after all, like it can in games like the Secret World. But there must be something Blizzard can incorporate into the game that would allow players of disparate levels to not only play together, but have an experience that offers rewards beyond the companionship of a friend or guildie. Let's be honest: most of the time we don't mind running lowbies through dungeons or zones. Still, it would be nice were there something more in it for us---see, told you it was all about me.

What it would look like: Say I'm level 90, and I have a friend who is leveling a toon that currently sits at 46. I could alter my effective player level to match hers. Since I'm max level, I don't need XP or gear. Quest rewards can always contain gold, and perhaps scaled-down players would also earn the currency of the day, or be able to champion faction rep will while questing with your friend. Of course this would work for low-level dungeons, too.

I don't feel low-level characters would really benefit from being able to scale up, especially since they're still probably learning their class. Really, the possibilities are endless here, but I do admit it would cause a pretty large systems overall...I think.

See, I don't really know, just assuming it'd be a huge deal to make a change like this.

Tool for facilitating cross-server raids

One of my favorite aspects of the game is raiding. Coincidentally, it's one part of the game I'm currently doing little of. Being without an established guild has put me at the mercy of unfilled groups shouting in trade chat, or looking to external resources to coordinate a raid. That's why Blizzard should create an in-game tool along the lines of OpenRaid. The fact that the tool exists and appears to be quite popular only serves to underscore the need for it.

If you're not familiar with OpenRaid, it's kind of like a giant LFG channel. The existence of this tool can be credited to Blizzard's lifting the restriction on forming cross-server groups. Essentially, it's a landing place for lone rangers and short-handed groups to meet up with other players and run content.

What it would look like: Instead of leaving the game to use a 3rd-party tool to join or organize a raid, players would be able to open a window, join a group chat and browse a schedule for all upcoming scheduled/planned raids. The system could include the same peer-to-peer feedback mechanism OpenRaid currently has. What's more, I suggest lifting the cross-server restrictions on current tier  raids. In other words, players would be able to group cross-server for Throne of Thunder now instead of having to wait until the next raid tier.

Take it one step further: if we had the level scaling from my first suggestion, this system could theoretically include every single raid in WoW's history.

How rad would that be?

Tribunal System

Side note: If you haven't watched this video of Riot Games' Jeffrey Lin talking about what their researchers and statisticians are learning about player behavior in-game from studying League of Legends, you really should. Their findings are absolutely fascinating, and I'm eagerly awaiting more results once they have an even larger pool of data to comb through. Plus, some of what I'm about to posit will make more sense if you're familiar with the League of Legends Tribunal and this study.

To me, the current system for reporting player abuse feels flat, despite repeated encouragement from Blizzard to right-click and report every time. Yes, I could just flip on the chat filter, but it's not fun when 10% of trade chat is random symbols. Not to mention we can't assume these people can spell their racial/homophobic slurs correctly to begin with.

League of Legends' Tribunal, like in WoW, is a system where players essentially police each other. Players have the option of reporting other players for language, harassment and abuse (among other things). If the offense warrants it, Riot will respond accordingly (via punishment) and create a "case," which is sent to a Tribunal made of up League of Legends players. Those players review the case, share their thoughts, weigh in on punishments, etc. This is the glaring difference between this system and WoW's: players know their reporting is actually making a difference, whether or not they are seeing a marked change in-game.

What it would look like: The Tribunal, like in League of Legends, would be made up of veteran players whose accounts are in good standing---what good standing means exactly, I'm not sure. The Tribunal doesn't dish out the punishments themselves, but like League of Legends, simply weigh in with their opinions as to whether or not the action taken by Blizzard was appropriate. The identity of the player and those on the Tribunal can remain anonymous, but there can be a line of communication between the two parties.

This fosters a community of players who want to focus on facilitating a positive environment in-game. On the surface, it also holds players a bit more accountable for their actions. With the Tribunal process being transparent, players are more aware of the consequences they can incur when behaving in a toxic manner.

Conclusion: Do I think any of these suggestions will turn out to be Ghostcrawler's super-sexy-but-currently-unannounced major feature come 5.4? Nah, not really. Well, maybe some aspect of the level scaling bit. But the truth of the matter is, WoW has seen a bit of a dip in subscription numbers---a fact that really doesn't say much by itself---and anecdotally I've seen a lot of guild break-ups, disbanding raids, server transfers, and players saying farewell to the game.

What this game needs more of, if anything, are ways for players to more easily play with one another in a positive, supportive environment.