Explorers' League Journal: Entry VI

Season's greetings, adventurers! It's that time of week again, so grab your shovels and let's take a look at what's happening in-game and around the community.


Gameplay First

PvP Rating and Conquest Item Adjustments - To help address the effects of an in-game issue that allowed players to reach unexpectedly high Match Making Values, we've made some changes to PvP items and Arena ratings.

New Free Character Moves Available - Back for Cataclysm and wanting to avoid some of the wait times on high-population realms? We've opened up a number of new Free Character Moves from North American realms currently experiencing the longest queues. Check to see if your realm is listed, and don't miss this opportunity to get in the game when you want!

And Even More Hotfixes - Keep up to date on the latest Cataclysm hotfixes and how they might affect you.

With a Little Help from My Friends

New Player Tips: Questing - What advice would you give to new players to help them get the most out of their questing?

Crowd Control, Interrupts, and Your Group – Ever wondered who can control those elementals in The Stonecore or interrupt Lady Naz’jar’s Shock Blast in Heroic: Throne of the Tides? Whynot's crowd control and interrupt compendium has just what you need to help make your next dungeon go more smoothly.

Winter Veil 2010 Guide - The Feast of Winter Veil is underway, and revelers all across Azeroth are getting in the spirit. If you want to make the most of this merry holiday but aren’t sure where to get started, check out Wowhead’s Winter Veil Guide.

Cataclysm Mounts Guide - While you’re over at Wowhead, you might also want to take a look at their Cataclysm Mounts Guide, which lists out the new mounts in Cataclysm and how to get them.

Cataclysm Pets Guide - Curious about what new vanity pets were introduced this expansion? Warcraft Pets has you covered.

Cataclysm Launch Videos

We captured some of the epic-ness of the official Cataclysm launch events around the world on video. Have a look!

Cataclysm California Launch Event

Cataclysm Global Launch Event

We weren’t the only ones covering the festivities, though. Check out these awesome videos put together by media and fan sites across the globe:

GameSpot - London, England

GamerSpawn - Rotterdam, Netherlands

IGN - London, England

WoW Junkie - Fountain Valley, California

For the Lulz

Letters to Greatfather Winter - Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, what sort of crazy, wacky, and/or completely practical things would you ask for from Greatfather Winter this year?

What’s Your Vector, Victor? - After their successful takedown of Gamon, the folks from Game Breaker’s video podcast series “Legendary” decided to organize another epic in-game afterparty: a synchronized Rocket Jump into the Kaja'mine quarry on the island of Kezan.

Mages Are Your Friends - And so are sheep! Head on over to The Daily Blink to learn more about their initiative to save CC.

Wolf of the Year - What’s Tycho’s biggest weakness? Find out in this World of Warcraft-themed comic from Penny Arcade.

BlizzCon 2010 Costume Contest Winners: A Guide to Style and Form

We invited the winners of this year’s BlizzCon Costume Contest to write guest articles on the art of costume creation. Learn about all the time, sweat, and talent that went into the design of these three beautiful pieces!

Female Monk (Christina) - 1st Place

Illidan Stormrage (Armando) – 2nd Place

Ysera (Brenna) - 3rd Place

That's all for now. Have a safe and wonderful Winter Veil, everyone. We'll see you next year!