Explorers' League Journal: We Didn't Start the Fire
Welcome to the Explorers' League Journal, our weekly recap of news and events from around Azeroth. Each week we'll cover a variety of topics including patch notes, hotfixes, contests, helpful guides, and recent blue posts to keep you up-to-date on the latest game and community developments.
Find out what happened last week below. If you missed our previous entry, you can check it out here.
Headlines
Ask the Devs #6: Guild Advancement (Answers) -- The latest round of developer answers is now up! (Don't forget to vote up your favorite professions-related questions for the week, too!)
Dev Watercooler: Number of Abilities -- In which Ghostcrawler explores the cornucopia of abilities available to characters at maximum level, and what might be too much of a good thing.
Cenarion Hatchling for Japan Earthquake Relief -- Adopt today and 100% of the fee will go to Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief efforts.
Children's Week -- Children's Week is here again! Be sure to check out Wowhead's full guide so you don't miss out on any of the festivities.
Patch 4.1
Patch 4.1 Now Live -- Find out what's new and what's changed.
Recent Hotfixes -- Keep tabs on recent hotfixes following patch 4.1. You can also visit our Bug Report forum for a list of known issues still under investigation.
Blizzard Insider Interview With Scott Mercer -- Scott Mercer, World of Warcraft's lead encounter designer, talks trolls. (The trolls you'll face in patch 4.1's Zul’Aman and Zul'Gurub 5-player Heroic dungeons, to be precise.)
Patch 4.2 Previews
Through the Fire and Flames -- Catch a sneak peek of patch 4.2 in two fly-through videos featuring the upcoming Firelands raid and new daily quest areas.
The Firelands -- Seven new raid bosses await you in the depths of the Firelands. (Molten Core was merely a setback.)
Tier 12 Armor Set Teaser -- A gallery of the new hotness arriving in Patch 4.2.
A Legendary Engagement -- Get a glimpse of the epic journey that leads to the forging of Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest, the new legendary staff.
The Regrowth and Molten Front Daily Quest Hubs -- Boasting over 60 new quests, four "unlockable" iLevel 365 gear vendors, and a world that evolves right before your eyes, the new daily quest hubs in Mount Hyjal and the Firelands will offer an unprecedented amount of solo content for level-85 players.
Elemental Bonds -- Thrall’s path has been fraught with danger ever since venturing to the Maelstrom. While he’s so far held out against the powers of the elements, will it one day become too much for him?
BlizzCast 16 -- Join Game Director Tom Chilton, Lead Quest Designer Dave Kosak, and Lead Content Designer Cory Stockton as they discuss all the new content coming in patch 4.2 in our first ever video BlizzCast!
Around the Community
A Different Perspective -- Tilt-shift photography meets Azeroth.
Your Favorite Gnome Recipes -- Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew?
A Letter to Your Lower-Level Self -- If you could write a note to your character back at level 1, what words of level-85 wisdom would you share?
Comics
Guild Charter -- GUComics examines the trials and tribulations of guild recruitment.
Go Away We're Playing WoW -- Of patches, Shadow priests, and ponies (courtesy of The Daily Blink).
Music and Machinima
Warcraft Today -- by Letömi and Ariel parody Lady Gaga. Alliance or Horde, Orc or Human, they're born that way.
Maiev, Life After the Betrayer -- Marquessa makes the case that girls just wanna have fun. Even Maiev.
Worgeddan -- No, it's not the end of the World… of Warcraft. Some might think it's close, though. Old memes never die. (Thanks, EmberIsolte!)
Schall und Rauch (Sound and Smoke) -- Shartun brings us a grand tale of adventure and danger, with a European twist.
Don't Stop BGing -- Do you believe? You will after you watch this epic parody by Letömi (ft. DarkPippi) of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."
Randomacity #2 -- RavenSlyphe shows us what goes on behind the scenes of a machinima series in the making.
Meow - EmberIsolte and Crykoda give a shout-out to Feral druids everywhere.
See you next week!
If you have any suggestions for community-created comics, guides, artwork, machinima, realm events, or forum posts that we should feature, please feel free to send us an email at WoWCommWatch@Blizzard.com. Include a link to the content and a brief description of why you think that item should be featured, and you may see it in the next Explorers' League Journal!