Kopic's World of Warcraft News |
| Extended downtime for Tuesday May 6th Posted: 05 May 2008 06:47 PM CDT Filed under: Realm Status, News items  The announcement on the login screen tonight tells us that the realms will be down for extended maintenance on Tuesday May 6th, from 3:00 a.m. PDT until 11:00 a.m. PDT. It's curious how extended maintenance used to last from five until eleven, but now lasts an extra two hours - from three until eleven.Today we've seen the PTR (Public Test Realm) go down, and then come back up again. Earlier we thought this was a good indication that patch 2.4.2 was going to be released on May 6th, however with the PTR still being up, we don't believe that will be the case. Of course I could be completely wrong here - and we all might get a shiny new download screen tomorrow morning. Only time will tell, and stay tuned to WoW Insider for the latest. We'll also keep you abreast of when the realms come back online, and any lingering issues that may arise.
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| It came from the Blog: Mother's Day event Posted: 05 May 2008 03:15 PM CDT Filed under: Events, WoW Insider Business, It came from the Blog  You are cordially invited to join It came from the Blog for a very silly event on Mother's Day. We are going to pay tribute to the women who brought us into this world by going to the place where she is mentioned daily: The Barrens. I know, she's not exactly mentioned with respect there. But the thing about Ur Mom jokes is that they are jokes. No one in Barrens Chat has actually met your mother, let alone done that with her. And it's time we exact a little revenge for our dear mothers and show that they (and we) have a sense of humor about it. So go to Zangarmarsh server and make an Orc Female with a name that includes some form of "mother" in it. I made one named Mutti, which is the German word for Mommy. No, I'm not saying my or your or anyone's mother looks like an Orc Female. And I don't think my mom ever sported a belly shirt, let alone a mohawk and a nose ring. These females will not be representing the way your mom looks, but instead her inner warrior (or shaman or whatever). More details are after the jump. Continue reading It came from the Blog: Mother's Day event
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| Posted: 05 May 2008 02:40 PM CDT Filed under: Patches, News items  Usually Blizzard is pretty definitive when they take something down. However today they've decided to take down the PTR (Public Test Realm) in the morning, and then put it back up early tonight. I'm reminded of a recent Simpsons episode I watched where Homer is sitting in his hospital bed awaiting a heart bypass surgery and goes "Bed goes up, bed goes down. Bed goes up, bed goes down." PTR goes down, PTR goes up. All of these announcements come from the same person, Hortus, so it's not an issue of him being confused or anything (unless the whirly jig in his head has gotten to him). Hortus does tell us that they've put it up for "some additional testing," which really isn't a surprise given it's a test realm. This probably means that patch 2.4.2 won't go live tomorrow if there is maintenance. Once we know more we'll post and keep you updated.
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| The secret society of WoW players Posted: 05 May 2008 01:30 PM CDT Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends  Rufus on WoW LJ had something happen last weekend that I'd be happens to a lot of us players: He was introduced to someone who he had nothing in common with... except that they played World of Warcraft. It happens a few different ways -- sometimes, it's like what happened to Rufus, in that you share a mutual friend who knows you both play WoW. Sometimes, it's just someone (or you) overhearing something about WoW and realizing that you've found a fellow player. And sometimes it's just your guildies -- out of game, you have almost nothing at all in common, but the game has brought you together.In my experience, it's usually just as awkward as Rufus makes it out to be -- especially when you're brought together by someone else, they have no idea that there are different factions and realms and that there are probably a good nine million, nine hundred and ninety thousand people you haven't ever met in game. There are some things that we have in common, obviously -- everyone has died to the Defias pillagers at some point, and almost everyone knows how tough it was getting past Moroes that first time. Sometimes, people can actually come together on these things -- I had a good old friend whose husband and I bonded a little for no other reason than that we both played Shamans. But usually, especially if introductions are made by a third party, it's just awkward. Have you been in this situation? Did you come away as awkwardly as Rufus did or did you make a new friend thanks to your time in Azeroth?
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| Gamers on the Street: Reading up on WoW Posted: 05 May 2008 01:00 PM CDT Filed under: Features, Interviews, Gamers on the Street  When you can't log in to World of Warcraft, do you get your fix from game sites instead? Gamers on the Street visited with two chatty young players from Zul'jin this morning about their WoW reading and research habits. Deathrowcame (70 Undead Warlock) and Docevil (70 Undead Rogue) were both on alts when we met up, but both popped over to Orgrimmar on their 70s to finish our conversation and take a group shot, as well as to share a few tidbits about life on Zul'Jin. Be sure to drop by the comments at the end of the article and share your own favorite sites and sources. Gamers on the Street: Hi guys, thanks for sharing. We're curious about people who like to read and research their characters and game info a lot. Are you both the studious type? Deathrowcame: Yeah, I am. I got a 70 'lock that I bought, so I have to research it - no, I'm joking,. LOL Docevil: I read up on what abilities I can get and what the easiest specialization is to use to level. Deathrowcame: I surf wowhead and thottbot daily to research gear for my level and class and what quest my class should do. Continue reading Gamers on the Street: Reading up on WoW
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| Posted: 05 May 2008 12:00 PM CDT Filed under: Guilds  No, I'm not trying to poach your applicants. I don't play that way, even though we all know people who do. What I'm after are your actual applications.I'm working on compiling a smorgasbord of guild application questions for an upcoming article, and I need your help! What I need from you, oh dear and faithful readers, are copies of what your guild uses as application questions. You can post the ones that you think are unique, funny, and insightful in the comments here. Better yet, you can copy and paste your application and send it to me in its entirety to adam.holisky@weblogsinc.com. If your application is easily accessible on the web, shoot me a link to your guild's website and I can check it out there too. What's the benefit of helping me in my quest to write this article? How about fame and my never-ending appreciation. Also a credit at the end for your help. And who doesn't like seeing their name in virtual-print?
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| Posted: 05 May 2008 11:30 AM CDT Filed under: Fan stuff, Guilds, Blizzard, News items  Blizzard sent them home with lots of swag, too. I was under the impression, especially given the comments on our last Guild post, that we weren't really sure that the game these guys were playing was World of Warcraft -- they've never said the name, as far as I know, and we've never seen any character shots. But Blizzard disagrees, apparently -- they've very sure The Guild is playing WoW, and they gave them a super nice tour for being a part of the game and the community.
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| Activision, Vivendi & ESA Break Up - GameFocus Posted: 05 May 2008 11:20 AM CDT
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| TCL Obtains OEM Contract From Samsung - ChinaTechNews.com Posted: 05 May 2008 11:12 AM CDT
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| Knaak works on more graphic novels for Blizzard Posted: 05 May 2008 11:00 AM CDT Filed under: Gnomes, Tauren, Blizzard, Burning Crusade, Lore, NPCs, Comics  I don't think this is new news (though Blizzplanet has a note about it at the New York Comic Con a week or so ago, so maybe it came from there), but Richard Knaak is apparently working on a new World of Warcraft manga comic, called The Dragons of Outland. While Amazon still has the release date at June 17th, the date given for release at NY Comic Con is Fall 2009 (though that may be for Volume 2). Apparently the book will feature Jorad Mace, a Paladin who can be seen in Netherstorm right now, will touch on Malygos' insanity (which we may see firsthand in Wrath), and it will also be the continuation of the Netherwing quests storyline (which some fans aren't really excited to see in Knaak's hands).It does sound interesting, though, and it might be fun to see something in the books that's a result of player actions. In other WoW graphic novel news, there is another book planned as well, called Warcraft: Legends, that will have two stories in it. One will be called "Fallen," about a Tauren Hunter who's been featured before in The Sunwell Trilogy, and another story called "How to Win Friends and Influence People," written by Dan Jolley about a Gnome of some kind (who knew they were important enough to write about?). Legends is due a little sooner than Dragons of Outland -- Blizzplanet says it's expected in August of this year. So WoW graphic novel fans have a lot to look forward to.
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| Group Slams 'World of Warcraft' Copyright Suit - PC Magazine Posted: 05 May 2008 10:59 AM CDT
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| Forum Post of the Day: Assassination nation Posted: 05 May 2008 10:30 AM CDT Filed under: Rogue, Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Blizzard, Humor, NPCs  I love what Kre's doing on the forums: he's calling for NPC assassination targets. And he's not all talk -- when he gets asked to take a target out, whether it be Katrina Prestor herself or the Ironforge bread vendor (who will not... shut... up!), he and his assassination crew get the job done.My choice for a kill has already been done (Die, Fandral Staghelm!), but there are all kinds of great requests in the thread -- unfortunately, due to the code of the assassin, Kre can't kill the little kid who stole that dolly in Stormwind, as children are not viable targets. But even Drysc has been sent to meet his maker by these guys. Hilarious. If an NPC has been giving you trouble lately, they'll make sure there are no more problems, if you know what we mean. Not all the war in Warcraft can be fought on the battlefield -- some of it has to be fought in the back alleys and in the shadows. Glad to see that Kre and his crew (Aelas has pulled off some excellent kills here, too) are going a little guerilla in the constant fight against NPCs.
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| Posted: 05 May 2008 10:00 AM CDT Filed under: News items, Wrath of the Lich King  While we've gotten tid bits of information here and there from Blizzard posts over the past few months, the news has been relatively dry with regards to any official announcements about Wrath of the Lich King. We know that it's in alpha testing, and we've had a bit of fun with some screenshots. But that's about it.Nethaera tells us that the development is coming along really well, which we've all heard before. However in her typical witty fashion she also gives us this gem of a line, in response to people calling WotLK vapor-ware: "The great thing about vapor is that at some point it condenses and becomes rain. The rain then falls and nourishes that which it falls on. It takes time for it to happen, but it does happen. Signs point to clouds forming in the sky, but you never can tell when they will let loose the rain..." Take that for what you will, but I read it pretty squarely as "Some major WotLK news is on its way." And that is news in and of itself.
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| Posted: 05 May 2008 09:00 AM CDT Filed under: Patches, News items  Hortus just posted that the PTR server for patch 2.4.2 has been taken down, and that the PTR phase for the patch has ended. This is a strong indicator that patch 2.4.2 is on its way soon, perhaps during some expected maintenance tomorrow.Take a look at the official and un-official notes for a comprehensive look at what will change. Nothing in the patch is game-breaking, in my opinion, but there are some nice changes. Some of the major highlights include:
Edit 3:24 p.m. EDT: It should be noted that the final version of the patch notes have not been released yet, however they are usually close to what the PTR patch notes are.
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| Scientists make a real-life mechanical squirrel Posted: 05 May 2008 08:30 AM CDT Filed under: Engineering, Items, Odds and ends, Humor  This one is just barely related to World of Warcraft, but it's just too good to pass up: behold, Engineers of all races. Our real-life scientists are working on your favorite companion. Animal behavior scientists at Hampshire College have created a real-life mechanical squirrel.And "Rocky," as they call him, is a lot more helpful than the noncombat version in Azeroth -- apparently by using the robot squirrel to mimic real-life squirrel behavior, they can "decode" what squirrels are saying. And supposedly that will help them figure out the same behavior (or at least parallels) in humans. Their mechanical squirrel looks a little more realistic than ours -- they must have added some wool in with the Malachite and the Copper Modulator. But if science can do this with a mechanical squirrel, just think what could be accomplished with an exploding sheep! [Via WoW Ladies LJ]
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| ‘ROFLCon’ Explores the Art of LOLing - Harvard Crimson Posted: 05 May 2008 08:16 AM CDT
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| Blizzard developers are out there Posted: 05 May 2008 08:00 AM CDT Filed under: Odds and ends, Blizzard  An interesting discussion went on in the Community Service forums yesterday concerning the role Blizzard developers play in those very forums. A poster was obviously attempting to troll and start some argument, asking if the Blizzard devs actually do read what people write or pay attention to the community at large. Kisirani, a Blizzard developer, responded that indeed they do.A few interesting things came from subsequent blue posts that help outline the roles of the developers and community managers. First, it is the job of the community managers (CMs as we call them) to do just what their title says: manage the community. This includes the forums and everything that goes on in there. Kisirani tells us that they regularly collect feedback and suggestions and pass them along to the developers. Kisirani makes it a point to say that they don't have enough time to read everything themselves, and if they were to read everything the game itself would not be developed - and again, this is where the community managers come into play. Continue reading Blizzard developers are out there
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| WoW Gamer Memorialized In 'Running Of Da Bulls' - Wired Blogs Posted: 05 May 2008 07:45 AM CDT
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| Samsung HL-T5087S 50-inch DLP HDTV with TriDef 3D Kit: Review By ... - Bigpicturebigsound.com Posted: 05 May 2008 07:32 AM CDT
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| Posted: 05 May 2008 07:30 AM CDT Filed under: Items, Events, News items, Quests, Factions, Making money 
Here's a friendly reminder for everyone: The Darkmoon Faire starts today in Terrokar Forest, just to the southeast of Shattrath City in Outland. Be sure to check out our guides to the ticket system and the card decks, as well as Alex Ziebart's gallery of a day at the faire, as well as all our other Faire news and information, then start planning your trip there. If you're lucky, Thaddeus Paleo and Lhara will have some rare items that'll catch your eye, or Sayge might give you a quest in your written fortune as well. And since Children's Week is still going on, if you haven't sent your Orphan back to the orphanage yet, why not give them a treat? Show them around the faire and buy them an Iced Berry Slush (and get yourself a Darkmoon Special Reserve at the same time)! Also, if you're not level 58 yet, don't despair, you can still join in the fun. A Mage can teleport you to Shattrath City any time, so if you can bribe or convince them to open a portal for you, you can still make it over.
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| Running of da Bulls brings 600 Tauren to Cenarion Circle Posted: 05 May 2008 07:00 AM CDT Filed under: Tauren, Machinima, Events, Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Contests, Humor BRK says that they made 200 purple shirts, which were apparently gone four hours before the race even started. The 500 person guild they formed filled up quickly, and estimates say that at peak, there were probably about 630 people on for the event, double the number of Horde on there most of the time. The winner of the race, Slokoshka, picked up a game card for their troubles, and then, not content with leaving hoof marks across half of Azeroth, the Tauren decided to raid Ironforge and made quite a mess of things there, too. Seems like a lot of fun, and it all went for a good cause, too -- not only did everybody /moo for Sharvan, BRK and Ratshag's friend who passed away recently, but they also raised over $500 for Sharvan's family, who we're told also attended the race and were completely touched by how generous the WoW community can be. Very awesome.
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| Scammers send fake Wow beta invites - PC Authority Posted: 05 May 2008 06:41 AM CDT
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| Do You Own Your Software? WoW Glider Case Not Just About Getting ... - EFF Posted: 05 May 2008 06:24 AM CDT
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| Online alter ego - The Register-Guard Posted: 05 May 2008 06:13 AM CDT
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| WoW Moviewatch: BeoCraft Comparison Posted: 05 May 2008 06:00 AM CDT Filed under: Machinima, WoW Moviewatch We're not quite sure how Halowulf won, as it barely resembles the trailer. There also appears to be interlacing on the screen! Either way, second place for a first effort isn't a bad way to start! [Via Warcraftmovies.com] If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com. Previously on Moviewatch ...
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| Posted: 05 May 2008 05:31 AM CDT Yes, it's another guide on how to make gold. However, this oen is directed at lower level players rather than 70's. For those of you who... | ||
| Posted: 05 May 2008 05:07 AM CDT
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| Officers' Quarters: We love you, but L2P Posted: 05 May 2008 05:00 AM CDT Filed under: (Guild Leadership) Officers' Quarters  Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.Hot off my month-long, four-feature dissertation on casual raiding, I've decided to answer some e-mails that relate to it. This week's e-mail is about a subject that comes up quite often in casual raiding guilds: When someone is generous, helpful, and an all-around great member, but who just isn't getting the job done in raids, what do you do about it? Hi Scott, I'm an officer/co-GM of a humble, little raiding guild, looking to have fun, grow and progress with our members. . . . We take raiding seriously enough that we're not wasting our time (everyone is on time and comes prepared), but we also have a lot of giggling and laughing in vent during raids, even when we wipe. All would be fantastical and perfect . . . except my guild is in sort of a predicament with a certain guild member. He's been with us for a while now -- long enough to not be considered a new member. He's a friend of mine, as well as a friend of our other co-GM. He's a healer and quite well geared. Probably the best geared in the guild. . . . Along with all the effort he's put into improving his character, he's also a decent guy. Whenever someone in the guild needs help, whether it be for a quest or for an empty raid spot, he won't hesitate to stop what he's doing to come help out. . . . So, he seems like a top notch guild member. Well geared, puts effort into his character, and is a nice guy. Problem? He knows he's well geared, but he doesn't know he SUCKS at healing. Continue reading Officers' Quarters: We love you, but L2P
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| Around Azeroth: Rest now, sweet troll Posted: 05 May 2008 04:00 AM CDT Filed under: Screenshots, Around Azeroth, Galleries
When you're an adventurer, you have to take sleep whenever you can get it, particularly since our characters appear to be homeless nomadic murderers. Swampy of Moonrunner decided to catch some Zs in a rocky shelter near Tempest Keep. His pal, Sleepy Willy, also felt the call of the sandman and joined his nap. Too bad that Swampy's hunter pet can't sleep; Swampy had to put him away, lest he grow bored and eat the both of them. If you missed it the other day, Around Azeroth is running another user submission challenge: Grand Theft Azeroth! Send us pics of you (or your friends, we're not picky) committing your most nefarious deeds in the style of the GTA series. Mount-jackings, thefts, murders, muggings, cruelty to animals and critters, picking up blood elf ladies of the night -- let your darkest side out. Send your screenshots to aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com by noon EST on Thursday, May 8, and please use the phrase "GTA" somewhere in your e-mail title. Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? We'd love to see it on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!
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| Rogue tanks Black Temple boss Mother Shahraz Posted: 05 May 2008 03:00 AM CDT Filed under: Rogue, Guilds, News items, Instances, Raiding, Bosses The guild Shards of Existence on the Illidan server hasn't managed to down Illidan himself yet, but apparently that hasn't stopped them from having a little bit of fun with the other Black Temple bosses. According to their site, they've been having a bit trouble with tanks losing their computers, which has in turn frustrated their attempts to put Illidan on farm status. But just because they're still getting their replacement tanks geared up doesn't mean they have to sit back and wait. Introducing Gaeowyn, The first Rogue to tank Mother Shahraz, the harem mistress of Black Temple. Notes Nihilum's news site, she pulled it off by stacking massive amounts of agility, while keeping enough expertise to cause adequate threat to keep the boss' attention. Raid buffed, she had 76.31% dodge, 12.16% parry, and 14.16% chance to be missed, meaning that she had 102.63% avoidance - just enough to take physical damage out of the equation. If nothing else, that alone makes me wonder if I could pull that off on my Druid tank - It certainly would make tanking Prince Malchezaar's phase 2 easier. Of course, Bears cannot parry, alas, so I'd have to make up some major ground somewhere. The video is a fun watch, especially at the end where it looks like Gaeowyn tries her hand at tanking Illidan. Is this a sign that we can expect Rogues to be fighting with Paladins, Druids, and Death Knights for tanking spots come WoTLK?
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| StarCraft II Preview - Inside Mac Games Posted: 05 May 2008 02:05 AM CDT
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| Blizzard's New Online Store Offers Game Downloads - Inside Mac Games Posted: 05 May 2008 02:04 AM CDT
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| Breakfast Topic: Sunday is Mother's Day Posted: 05 May 2008 02:00 AM CDT Filed under: Tips, Events, Virtual selves, Breakfast topics
Even as I get older, I've found that my Mom, and other Moms around me still enjoy homemade gifts. Our Thursday column, World of Warcrafts, has given us some excellent ideas on some very special gifts. Last week Shelbi showed us how to make a lovely Basket of Flowers. I'm also fond of her wonderful guide for making Super potions. I'm pretty sure my Mom would like these (even more than the paperclip necklace she treasured for years.) You may also consider World of Warcraft T-shirts, or even paid play time. If you don't have a lot of money to dedicate to Mother's Day Shopping, you can give your WoW Mom the gift of playtime or even something special in-game. For those of you with less fantasy-oriented Mom's, here are some easy links to get gifts online: Flowers Food: Remember, you only get one Mom (ok, so in modern families, you may have 2 or 3), and Mother's Day only comes once a year. Make it count! What's your plan for your mom? (I can't tell you, my mom reads WoW Insider.) * This public service announcement was brought to you by gamers who love their moms.
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| Posted: 05 May 2008 01:51 AM CDT
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| The Fool's Look Ahead - The Money Times Posted: 04 May 2008 11:40 PM CDT
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| E3 in trouble - Major game publishers skip show AND drop out of ... - TG Daily Posted: 04 May 2008 10:20 PM CDT
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| Eye-tracking interface means gamers' looks can kill - New Scientist (subscription) Posted: 04 May 2008 09:24 PM CDT
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| China gets its game on - China Daily Posted: 04 May 2008 06:48 PM CDT
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| PC Games and Console Hardware Sales Surge in China's Booming Economy - Gamespy.com Posted: 02 May 2008 10:18 AM CDT
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Now, there's some classes (mostly pure DPS) that have a special advantage when it comes to 
