Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Everything you wanted to know about World of Warcraft: The Secrets of Ulduar but were afraid to ask]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/14/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-world-of-warcraft-the-secre/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/14/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-world-of-warcraft-the-secre/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/14/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-world-of-warcraft-the-secre/#commentsFiled under: , ,


This morning the World of Warcraft is eeriely silent as the latest mini-expansion The Secrets of Ulduar (aka Patch 3.1) goes live across US and Oceanic servers (with Europe to follow tomorrow). In a few short hours the servers will reopen, along with the doors to Ulduar, the newest dungeon, but if you're not au fait with the ways of Azeroth all this information is likely to leave you a little purplexed but fret not as we've put together a little guide to what you need to know about the latest patch.

Continue reading Everything you wanted to know about World of Warcraft: The Secrets of Ulduar but were afraid to ask

MassivelyEverything you wanted to know about World of Warcraft: The Secrets of Ulduar but were afraid to ask originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>achievementsargent-tournamentdual-specdual-speccingdual-specspatch-3.1secrets-of-ulduarswimming-mountsulduarworld-of-warcraftwow-insiderwow-patch-3.1yogg-saronTue, 14 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: From Captain America to the whirling dervish, dual-specs discussed]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/08/anti-aliased-from-captain-america-to-the-whirling-dervish-dual/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/08/anti-aliased-from-captain-america-to-the-whirling-dervish-dual/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/08/anti-aliased-from-captain-america-to-the-whirling-dervish-dual/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,


It's not too often that I actually get mail dropped in my box. My column is usually so loudmouthed that people just usually complain in the comment box instead of taking the time to send me a well worded e-mail. However, one of our intrepid readers, Patrick, actually sent along a question to my inbox, which I'll happily relate to you now.

"Do you have any thoughts on dual specs in WoW? I thought this was ugly towards the *World* of Warcraft - anyone could be anything at any time with no real choice / consequences for those choices. Blizzard is moving further and further away from an immersive game to being a game about 'gaming the system' behind the game. Additionally, it seems like Blizz spends more time on shifting mechanics (and keeping players occupied with adapting) than in making really interesting and rewarding (not loot, but the more ephemeral 'rewards') content for their players."

Actually Patrick, I've been milling over this for some time now. While the initial concepts of dual-specs were put in place to alleviate the gold crunch and hassle of re-specs, the system has evolved much further beyond its initial structure. Some of those things I wholeheartedly welcome, but others I'm wary of. So let's talk about dual-specs, and why the system is beginning to really, really break.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: From Captain America to the whirling dervish, dual-specs discussed

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: From Captain America to the whirling dervish, dual-specs discussed originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedblizzarddual-specdual-talent-spece-mailfeaturedgame-designjoystiqfeaturesopinionworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 08 Apr 2009 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[World of Warcraft dual-spec requirements massaged for your enjoyment]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/21/world-of-warcraft-dual-spec-requirements-massaged-for-your-enjoy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/21/world-of-warcraft-dual-spec-requirements-massaged-for-your-enjoy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/21/world-of-warcraft-dual-spec-requirements-massaged-for-your-enjoy/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


When dual talent specializations were revealed in the upcoming World of Warcraft 3.1 patch, Blizzard had some pretty stringent rules in place. Players had to be level 80 to access the ability and also needed to be near a Lexicon of Power (found in various capital cities) to even switch specializations. But Eurogamer as discovered that things have changed!

Now, the required level is 40 and training costs 1000 gold -- which is easy for someone to do if they've got a character in Northrend. Also, players can proceed to switch talents anywhere they like, so long as they're not in battle, a PvP Arena or Battleground. The talent switch will take 5 seconds and reset class resources to zero. In addition to these changes, a one-click equipment manager will also been added to streamline switching from one build to another.

MassivelyWorld of Warcraft dual-spec requirements massaged for your enjoyment originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardblizzarddual-specdual-specseurogamernorthrendworld-of-warcraftwowwow-patch-3.1Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Will you be taking advantage of Dual Specs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/the-daily-grind-will-you-be-taking-advantage-of-dual-specs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/the-daily-grind-will-you-be-taking-advantage-of-dual-specs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/the-daily-grind-will-you-be-taking-advantage-of-dual-specs/#commentsFiled under: , ,

One of the things coming to World of Warcraft with the upcoming 3.1 patch is the option for players to have what's called a dual specialization. As we've heard from Zarhym, they will be available at level 40 for a cost of 1,000 gold, and essentially will be a button that will swap you from one spec to another in a matter of moments. This will also cause your glyphs and action bars to swap around as you change specs, so you don't have to screw with swapping glyphs around. (You'll still need to swap gear around, but most people who've paid to swap specs are pretty used to that - and besides, there are mods to do that.) This will be of great use to those who play hybrid/healer classes, or have different raid and PvP builds. It won't work in the Battlegrounds or Arenas, though.

All that said, will you be making use of dual specs in World of Warcraft, or are you pretty set with your current spec? If you're not going to use it regularly, will you instead use it for trying out other builds for fun? If you will be using it, have you got your two favorite specs planned out yet? What will you be switching between?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Will you be taking advantage of Dual Specs? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dual-specdual-specsglyphstalentsworld-of-warcraftwowwow-patch-3.1Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[An in-depth look at the dual class system in Runes of Magic]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/24/an-in-depth-look-at-the-dual-class-system-in-runes-of-magic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/24/an-in-depth-look-at-the-dual-class-system-in-runes-of-magic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/24/an-in-depth-look-at-the-dual-class-system-in-runes-of-magic/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

One of the trademark features of free-to-play Runes of Magic is the dual class system. There are six primary classes in RoM, including the warrior, rogue, priest, mage, knight, and ranger. Once you reach level 10 you can choose a secondary class option, which means there are up to 30 possible class combinations. For a full description of how the system works, visit the RoM website.

Obviously a system like this leaves you wondering what primary and secondary classes work best together. Well fear not, MMORPG.com just did a bunch of dual-speccing on your behalf and wrote a guide on which combinations work and which don't work. The guide is a two-parter, and this week's takes a look at the priest, mage, and knight as secondaries. According to the article, each primary class will benefit from a priest secondary, which makes perfect sense. Mage secondaries are suggested for priests and scouts, but not so much for knights due to issues with aggro, mana management, and gear stats. Apparently rogue-knights are amazing too.

Next week they will discuss the remaining three secondary class options. You can experiment for yourself in the RoM open beta currently underway. The game is set to officially launch March 19.

MassivelyAn in-depth look at the dual class system in Runes of Magic originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>classesdual-specfree-to-playfrogster-interactiveromrunes-of-magicTue, 24 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Insider has you covered for patch 3.1]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/06/wow-insider-has-you-covered-for-patch-3-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/06/wow-insider-has-you-covered-for-patch-3-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/06/wow-insider-has-you-covered-for-patch-3-1/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Blizzard is hard at work with designing all of the changes coming in World of Warcraft's patch 3.1, and WoW Insider is hard at work on documenting and analyzing those changes for you. Patch 3.1 will be introducing the long awaited dual spec system, which will allow players to switch back and forth between two talent builds, many class mechanic changes for all of the roles, mounts that are usable in water, and many more smaller changes.

To quench your thirst for information, WoW Insider has set up a main repository post on everything 3.1 related. From that post you can find out if Blizzard is slapping the nerf paladin, buff warrior buttons again, or if perhaps the shoe has now been placed on the other foot.

As for this blogger, I'm off to go celebrate being able to exorcise everything in existence -- a la lightning bolts.

MassivelyWoW Insider has you covered for patch 3.1 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardclass-changesdual-specexorcismlightning-boltmount-changespatch-3.1world-of-warcraftwowwow-insiderFri, 06 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Dual specs likely to come in next World of Warcraft update]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/09/dual-specs-likely-to-come-in-next-world-of-warcraft-update/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/09/dual-specs-likely-to-come-in-next-world-of-warcraft-update/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/09/dual-specs-likely-to-come-in-next-world-of-warcraft-update/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Our sister site WoW Insider has some dirt on the upcoming addition of dual specialization in World of Warcraft. This dirt was supplied by a blue (a Blizzard employee) post on the official game forums. The ability to have one character with two sets of talent builds and hotbars has been a hotly desired feature every since Blizzard brought it up back at the last BlizzCon.

It sounds like players can expect flipping between talent builds to be trivial in towns and such, but not nearly so trivial out when out in the wide open world. The blue poster, known as Ghostcrawler, also said that the current goal is to get this new feature in the next big content patch. When will that be? It's anyone's guess, but hopefully it's only a few more months out -- we're starting to get that re-spec itch again.
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyDual specs likely to come in next World of Warcraft update originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardblizzardbluedual-specghostcrawlerwarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-insiderTue, 09 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST