Welcome to the 1,147th Edition of Loading...

Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news and commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.

Three excellent Ten Ton Hammer WoW writers (and I) are on the ground in Anaheim for BlizzCon 2009. Have we already reached the summit of excitement with all the Cataclysm rumors? We'll find out soon enough, but we also plan on delivering some angles not covered by the live TV presence and mainstream sites. A BlizzCon 2009 preview of sorts in today's Loading... Arriving at BlizzCon 2009.

The Pulse

You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the result is the Ten Ton Pulse (What is The Pulse?).

Here's today's top 5 Pulse results:

  1. World of Warcraft
  2. Champions Online (down 1)
  3. Aion (UP 1)
  4. Dragon Age Origins (UP 6)
  5. EverQuest 2

Biggest Movers today :

  1. EVE Online (down 4 to #10)
  2. City of Heroes (down 5 to #19)
  3. Guild Wars (down 3 to #17)
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Today is the day four folks from the Ten Ton Hammer team will arrive in Anaheim for BlizzCon 2009. What to expect from this year's lovefest for the big B, beyond what we've already seen of Cataclysm. I'm not sure, but I imagine Blizzard has something up their sleeves. They'd be hard pressed to top last year, though - getting a raucous round of applause from announcing that StarCraft 2 would be three times the flavor, three times the retail price point at last year's event. More class reveals for Diablo 3 are likely, especially since Blizzard likely wants to shift attention away from the recent StarCraft 2 delay announcement. But Diablo 3 is, by all appearances, still a year or more from release, so perhaps as Jay "Medeor" Johnson suggested in last week's The Overpull, the focus will be squarely on WoW and its coming expansion.

There's been a lot of talk recently about growing discontentment in the WoW ranks. I am curious to know the state of WoW in China, but beyond that, I've tried to distance myself from the chatter. There's always an undercurrent of fatigue (from players) and jealousy (from outsiders that just can't get into the game) culminating in a wave of defections (then re-defections) with any successful MMO. When Dark Age of Camelot came out, I thought I was thoroughly done with EverQuest, only to return a little while later when I realized I wasn't much for RvR gameplay.

The grass might always look greener, but MMOs are more than a set of features and some fancy art, animation, and story. More often than not I've left MMOs (or at least taken an extended break) after a negative interaction with other players. I'm not really talking about griefing or a bad loss in PvP, moreso the realization that these aren't my kind of people, somehow. It's either an incredibly shallow thing or the deepest level assessment you can make about a game.

Another travel-shortened Loading.... today. Hopefully we can get you some angles on BlizzCon that you won't see on the mainstream sites or DirectTV. Anything you want us to nose into on your behalf? Tell us what you're looking for in the Loading... forum or email me.


Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day




From our WoW: General Discussion Forum



Overgeared and Underskilled

You suck. Not only is that the title of a book by one of my favorite authors, Christopher Moore,
but it's the message Byron "Messiah" Mudry seemed to be trying to relay
to World of Warcraft players with his recent editorial, "Overgeared and Underskilled." And it's okay, really. I mean, somebody has to suck, right? Somebody has to be the person who gives pick-up groups a bad name, and for whom the term "PUG hell" was invented.

Are
many WoW players overgeared and underskilled, as Messiah puts it
(making up his own compound words as he goes, because he's just that
awesome)? Have your say! Because if you can rant loudly about the lack of quality players in WoW, then you must be one of the good ones.



==============================

Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread



"Here is a very short phrase to all the elitist jerks out there: GET OVER YOURSELVES!

If
you are going to run progression then by all means take your best
geared most knowledgeable player with you! They have earned that place.
BUT, if you are going to heroic farm or whatever chances are you can
3-man the place anyways so suck it up and perhaps TEACH somebody
something instead of whining and complaining that they are not good
enough.
"

- ZeroMerc


==============================



Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell
us
!

6 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 60 in August! 920 in 2009!

New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today

  • The End of a Dragon in Dragon Age: Origins
    Combat and story are two integral pieces of the puzzle known as gaming, but they're absolutely essential in almost every roleplaying game that exists. However, few studios place as much emphasis on both aspects of the gameplay as BioWare does, so it comes as no surprise that the last portion of their GamesCom 2009 demonstration of Dragon Age: Origins featured a fight with a dragon the size of a small house. Intrigued? Come check out the rest of the story!
  • World of Warcraft Guide - Warlock Pets
    This is a World of Warcraft guide to Warlock Pets. As a Warlock venturing in Azeroth, your pet is your life-line. Just think about it, what if you didn’t have your Voidwalker tanking for you while leveling or your succubus for decent damage and a quick crowd control. Each pet explanation will include level attained, best uses, DPS at level 80, and an explanation breaking down the previous specifications.
  • Guild Wars 2 Concept Art Revealed
    Ever since Guild Wars 2 was first announced, fans of the highly successful franchise have been itching to get a glimpse into Tyria’s mysterious future. It looks like the wait may finally be over. New concept art has been revealed which we’ve added to our galleries for your viewing enjoyment. We’ll continue to expand the gallery as new images are revealed, so be sure to check back often!
  • World of Warcraft - Evolution of Tier Sets
    Tier sets in World of Warcraft shows to other players as you walk through a city that you are different from them and their quest or instancing gear. You are a Raider. World of Warcraft has survived for 4 years, has had 2 expansions and continues to grow. As the years progress it often is hard to remember what the first Tier Set once looked like. Looking back at it now is like looking at a relic. Far less detail and very different from the current Tier 9 that is avialable today. In this article Yadiera looks back at the changes in raid armor and with pictures, you begin to notice how as the years go by the artwork put into making Tier Sets continue to improve.
  • World of Warcraft - Healer Pet Peeves
    Having played a healer for many years in World of Warcraft, it is not surprising to have run into several people or occassions that have gotten on your bad side. A healer is a very important person in a group, being able to stay on their good side and ensure that you get heals is always a good thing. It also never hurts to have a healer on your friends list when you desperately need one for a group or even a raid. But what are the things that annoy a healer?

Giveaways:

Hottest Content:

  1. The End of a Dragon in Dragon Age: Origins
  2. Guild Wars 2 Concept Art Revealed
  3. The Consequences of True Choice – A Look at Decisions in Dragon Age: Origins
  4. Exclusive Video Q&A - SOE's John Smedley Talks Better Support for Guilds
  5. Video - Richard Garriott on Space Travel and More from The Syndicate World Conference 2009
  6. Guild Wars - Rediscovering Tyria
  7. Star Trek Online Closed Beta to Begin in October?
  8. Champions Online: Exclusive Interview on Sidekicks, Super Groups, and Supervillains
  9. World of Warcraft - New Expansion = New Tamable Pets?
  10. Age of Conan - A Year Later, Part 2

Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

-Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer team


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Jeff joined the Ten Ton Hammer team in 2004 covering EverQuest II, and he's had his hands on just about every PC online and multiplayer game he could since.

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