Welcome to the 1,226th edition of Loading...
Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
The release of patch 3.3 for
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow">World of Warcraft
has been the talk of
the MMOG town this week. While the 3 new instances that comprise the
Frozen Halls have brought players back to the game in droves, sometimes
its the introduction of new functionality or gameplay mechanics that
ultimately sets the server queues on fire. Today well be taking a look
at the new Dungeon Finder system along with a pair of excellent guides
to the Frozen Halls zones and a chance to dive into this weekends
Global Agenda beta event right here in Loading
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Sometimes I love me a good spectacle, and the launch of World of
Warcrafts patch 3.3 this Tuesday certainly did not disappoint. It
hasnt been since the launch of Wrath of the Lich King over a year ago
that Ive seen my server so full full to the point that the already
cramped quarters of Dalaran became a solid wall of characters. How the
city didnt come crashing down into the Crystalsong Forest under the weight
of all that massive shoulder armor is anyones guess.
Seeing such a mass amount of near-motionless players packed into the
city like enchanted sardines was interesting yet somewhat disturbing at
the same time. At first I assumed that the server was beginning to
buckle under the sudden influx of players logging in to check out the
Frozen Halls, but thats when I remembered the new shiny that 3.3 added
to everyones in-game toy box: the mighty Dungeon Finder.
As evidenced in todays Epic Thread, the new Dungeon Finder is by
and
large a major success for those players who opt to stay on the more
casual side of MMOG street, as well as those players hoping to complete
their current armor sets before the challenges ramp up deeper into
Icecrown Citadel. In a nutshell (for those of you unfamiliar with
what the Dungeon Finder is all about) the system allows players to
queue for either standard or heroic versions of dungeons in a similar
manner to the cross-realm battlegrounds system. In a matter of
minutes you can be grouped and stepping into an instance which in and
of itself is a fairly major leap forward from the former LFG system.
The big draw here though seems to be the ease of obtaining badges, with
some players obtaining enough in a single day to purchase a higher item
level epic armor piece.
There are, however, certain downsides to the way the Dungeon Finder
currently functions. Much like the potential disparity in gear between
players when stepping into WoW battlegrounds without a premade group,
the same holds true with how the Dungeon Finder places players into
groups. In other words, the system doesnt account for your current
level of gear even though the standard progression through Heroic
instances and raids can be brutal to the undergeared if you attempt to
tackle content too far above your current rung on the progression
ladder. A perfect example would be the new
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/77839">Forge of Souls
instance
where the initial trash mob pulls are essentially a gear check.
Undergeared groups will wipe within moments of stepping into the zone
while active raid guilds are blowing through the zone faster than the
real Godfather of Soul could say the word blow.
Over the next two weeks Ill be diving headfirst into the new system
with one of my fleet of level 80 characters thats yet to step into any
of the instances in Wrath. Theyll be starting out in a selection of
the finest in crafted and faction reward ilvl 200 gear, so anything
obtained via badges will end up being a hefty upgrade. At the end of
that period Ill assess how useful a tool the Dungeon Finder is for the
most casual of players and what type of gear they can hope to obtain by
only hitting perhaps a couple of instance runs a day at best. Be sure
to check back in a couple of weeks when I report my findings right here
in a future edition of Loading...
If youre a WoW player but have yet to dive into 3.3, we have the
full
patch available right
here for your downloading enjoyment. Or if youve been among
the near-zombies milling about Dalaran over the past few days waiting
for instance queues to pop, be sure to check out our epic thread below
and add your thoughts to the discussion!
Before I depart on my epic journey in pursuit of shiny new epics, I
also wanted to point out that readers have until 9pm today to enter
their codes for a chance to jump into
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/926">Global Agendas
play test this
weekend. Be sure to check out the full details on how and where to
enter your code right
here!
Have you been diving into the Frozen Halls or ripping through
instances
with the new Dungeon Finder in World of Warcraft this week?
Share your
experiences with the latest and greatest mega-patch right here in the
Loading
forums!
Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day
From our href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=139">WoW
General Discussion
style="font-weight: normal;">Auto Dungeon Finder {Frackin Awesomesauce}
WoW patch 3.3 has arrived, and with it the href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/77721">Dungeon Finder,
a nifty little tool that takes LFG to a whole new level. We're not only
singing its praises (as the thread title implies) but talking about its
functionality and its effect on gear snobbery. href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=48338">Join in!
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"Just used the new Dungeon feature. Liked it a lot. Only took 4 minutes
to get a group inside the instance after joining. And Quests can be
shared by all (I didn't know that would happen)."
- Phro23n1
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=32559">Tell
us!
8 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG
features today! 44 in December! 2,225 in
2009!
New Exclusives, Features, and Guides today at Ten Ton
Hammer
-
Global Agenda
Beta Key Lotto Contest
Hi-Rez
Studios is smuggling a few lucky Ten Ton Hammer members into this
weekend's play test of Global Agenda. Grab the special code and jump
into their Beta Lotto for your chance to win.
-
WoW:
Guide to the Forge of Souls
The
Forge of Souls is the first instance in the group of three new WoW
instances, just added with patch 3.3, that make up the Frozen Halls in
Icecrown Citadel. Ten Ton Hammer delivers the goods to get you on your
way.
-
WoW: Icecrown
Citadel 5-man Attunement Quest Line
Walkthrough
Our
latest walkthrough takes you through the entire attunement quest line
that nets you a nice sum of Emblems of Frost, a hefty pocket full of
gold, and access to all three new instances. Don't struggle begging
general for what to do. Let Ten Ton Hammer take you to the next level
with our latest walkthrough!
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rom/guides/classes/dualclass_mage_guide">Runes
of Magic - The Mage: Dual Class Options
Taking
a look at the Dual class options for the Mage ZeroMerc goes over the
selection processes and what each combo has to lend to the game.
Carefully explore the options but still choose what is right for you!
-
EVE Online:
The Blackbird - Death by Electronic Warfare
Blackbirds
are a cruiser-class ship that makes effective electronic warfare
readily available to new players. Ten Ton Hammer Contributing Writer,
Space Junkie, shows new players how to fit and fly these valuable PVP
assets.
-
Global Agenda
PvE and Class Balance Video Q&A
Ten Ton Hammer's Ben de la Durantaye spoke with Todd Harris and Stew
Chisam of Hi-Rez Studios for a unique call-in video interview
opportunity. They'll discuss PvE, class balancing, the game's progress
in beta, and much more in this video!
-
Dragon's Call
- A Preview
Dragon's
Call, a new browser based MMOG from GamesDP.com, is currently finishing
up it's open beta phase. Join Ten Ton Hammer as we get hands on with
this interesting new offering and bring all of our findings to you.
-
AdventureQuest
Worlds: The Brains vs The Brawns
Artix
returns this week with a new exclusive AdventureQuest Worlds (AQW) blog
detailing a new event in the Frozen Northlands, a new zone just
released for AQW last week. Starting Friday, players can aid Nythera in
her quest to defeat Queen Aisha, but to do so it will require both
brains and brawn to work together in overcoming the challenges that
await.
Today's Hottest Content
- WoW: Icecrown
Citadel 5-man Attunement Quest Line Walkthrough - WoW:
Guide to the Forge of Souls - Global Agenda
Beta Key Lotto Contest - Ten Ton Hammer's
Gifts for Gamers 2009 - Champions
Online Exclusive Nemesis Confrontation Q&A with Bill Roper - Building a Fleet
- a Star Trek Online Q&A with Lead Programmer Stephen
D'Angelo - WoW:
Patch 3.3 Released and Available for Download - EVE Online
- ECM: Electronic Warfare for Newbies - Age of Conan
- Update 6 Q&A with Craig Morrison - Guild
Wars 2 Races of Tyria Trailer
Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer
network!
- Reuben "Sardu" Waters and the Ten Ton Hammer team
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.
