The first question on everyone's mind is "Is it 2.4 yet?" It's getting very close, and pundits are thinking it'll either be today or next Tuesday when the big patch goes live.  Either way, it's coming soon!

On that note, Adam Holisky asks an interesting question. Does any of What We Do In WoW matter? Folks track nearly any stat you could ever want tracked, but does it really matter in the end? 5 years from now, will anyone remember who first downed C'Thun? Will anyone care? Nihilum who?  The comments are getting quite interesting, providing a look at the culture and minds of those behind the toons, as well as taking a diversionary side trip down real word sociology in the debate over whether anything really matters in the end.

In a rare display of verbosity, Belfaire, a Blizzard GM, takes some time to explain several functions you can use if you find offensive names on servers, as well as noting several different ways you can communicate with GM's in game.  I did not, for instance, know that if I didn't want to actually TALK to a GM about whatever I'm sending them a ticket for, I could simply put that I don't want to be contacted, and they won't bother (He notes that they'll honor that, unless they need more specific info, of course). Belfaire's post is the fifth down from the top.

Polemidas starts up a post about Guild Bank Security, following a rash of keylogging, account hacks, and a lot of pain over suddenly empty Guild Banks. Well worth a read, to pick up some basic and advanced precautions you can use.

Last but not least, there is a simply stunning Gallery of artwork by Wyndforge. He takes WoW screenshots, and does some photoeditor magic on them. He creates some amazingly eye-catching artwork in the process. Go check him out!

And now, off to sleep off the aftereffects of St.Paddy Day's partying! Hope you had a good one! 

Hortus announces an interesting change soon to come about, you can now (Come 2.4) inspect someone you can't engage in combat.

Zach Yonson wants to know who your Favorite NPC is.

Also...behold Frostmourne!

To start it all off...we have the StarCraft II Zerg announcement video. It's on Youtube, so isn't a very good version, but it should whet the appetite of those Lurkers who are waiting for SCII. I'm sure Blizz will have an English and official version on their site pretty soon.

Daniel Whitcomb wonders where the unique look to the PvP armor has gone. It's not even different from faction to faction anymore, where it used to be. It's something that a lot of folks have complained about, that PvP armor is now 'just' recolored Tier armor (or that Tier armor is just recolored PvP armor, depending on how you look at it).  He's not the only one.

Allison Robert writes about something most folks can empathize with. How, no matter how you look at [Insert Talent Here], in [Insert Any Class Tree Here], it just sucks. Commentary is moving fast and furious as folks talk about Talents You Hate. 

Boubouille over at MMO-Champion has spotted that there will be new Mage Portals in 2.4. The Alliance one will go to Theramore, and the Horde one to Stonard.

Jaxtrasi has opened up a can of worms on the Elitist Jerks fora with a Proposition for Raid and Dungeon Progression.  There are some pretty interesting ideas presented there as folks work through what and/or how they think progression should be handled over time.

...And just like that, Kalgan makes a Warlocks day by announcing that the Lifetap nerf that they've been clamoring about has been removed. He also ruins the Shaman's day by stating that the Mortal Strike effect has been removed from the Flametongue Weapon buffs. Isn't the Test Realm grand?

However, now in this patch is a huge change that, if it works properly, will make life a lot easier for some folks. Mostly PvE'ers, really, but still. With the current push, multi target effects such as Cleave, Multi-Shot, Swipe, Chain Lightning, and Avengers Shield will no longer break CC'ed targets.

One other patch note of note, a Warrior's Improved Hamstring effect is now subject to diminishing returns in PvP. Hopefully, this will do a bit to end the sheer amount of spamstring every other class has to put up with. 

There is a neat little tool out there that does a Character Assessment based off what it can (usually) find on the Armory.  

On a final note, D&D co-creator Gary Gygax has passed away.  One way or another, this man has affected almost everyone here's life. Thanks for your part in creating something that has brought a lot of joy and fun into my life.

Well, it seems that even the PTR's have their ups and downs. The Sunwell instance is currently down as Blizz tends to a bad bug in the Lady Sacrolash and Grand Warlock Alythess encounter. This is what the PTR is for, after all. 

Hildegard has a post over on EJ that has gotten quite large, but is worth a read. It's on what could almost be considered a 'dead horse' topic by now. Progressive Nerfs. That is, nerfing content over time so that those who aren't quite so hardcore get to see it. It's an interesting take on this subject, as it wanders it's way through what people want. Can there be a bridge between hardcore and casual, or are the two forever to remain seperated?

Another hot button topic over here,  Mike Schramm writes up an article about Making the PvE-PvP break. It's a look at whether or not Blizz should just up and be done with separating PvE and PvP content once and for all. This is something I know most folks have an opinion on, as it's something that effects everyone. Nerfs for supposed PvE imbalances affect PvP play. Nerfs to adjust PvP play bring unwanted changes to PvE encounters. Can the two peacefully co-exist, especially as Blizzard starts to bring Arena play into the E-Sport world?

One of the best things about the Zul'Aman instance is the challenge presented by way of the Timed Event. It's very much a challenge, and there are a lot of ways to get it done and get one of the coveted Bear Mounts. Sword_of_Doom has a post on some of the tips and tricks to speeding up your Zul'Aman times.

Nyhm has released his latest video, Pretty Fly for a Draenei. It made me laugh, and I liked the song. If you are looking for more of his work (and it's good, and worth looking up) search YouTube for the poster Phrog801. Almost all of the stuff he's posted is a pretty good chuckle.

Things sure are hopping over on the PTR. In the latest patch notes, much class love has been spread around. 

Mages now have an Improved Blink worth talking about, as it increases the miss chance on attacks by 25% for 2/4 seconds.

Shaman are the latest class to get their version of Mortal Strike, getting it attached to Flametongue weapon. -50% healing for 5 seconds, refreshed every swing. Time to keep a much better eye on those Arena shaman.

Warlocks claim not to have seen any love, and still rage about the Life Tap nerfing. Fixed costs and benefits now apply to this spell.

PvP gets a bit of a switchup, as if there are players on an Arena team that aren't of the same personal rating, the higher of the two is used to calculate gains/losses. As well, Additionally, the Tournament Test Realm (TTR) is now up and fuctioning. If you love PvP, head on over and check it out. It has even got a special Blizz Forum of it's own to check out.

It also seems that 2.4 is going to be known as the "Attunement Breaker" patch, as the Master's Key is no longer required to get inside of Kharazhan.

This is a very interesting read for RL's or for folks just looking to understand a bit more about what that Boomkin is doing in the back, or why that warrior isn't trying to tank something. 

So, with the maintenance keeping everyone from playing, here are a few things to look at while you wait with bated breath for the servers to come back up. 

Paid Character Transfers and Paid Name Change Cooldown Reduced  - Bornakk announces these services do not share a cooldown, and are being reduced to 1 month.

Arena Tournament '08 - Got the killer PvP skills? Interested in winning up to $120,000? Got 'the secret unbeatable' in 3v3 format? Got $20 spare bucks? Head over, check out the new format and sign up to get in on the action.

The Stupid Things People Do  - Ward over at Elitist Jerks has an amusing thread full of some anecdotes about the...less than intelligent things that intelligent folks do from time to time.

Pre-Heroic Prot Pally  - WoW Insider has a very nice 'guide' on how to work up a Prot Pally at lvl 70. It's one of their new features called "Pimp my Profile" but contains a lot of good advice and suggestions in it. 

Finally, both of the Lurker Lounge guilds on Terenas  and Stormrage are now at the magical number of 5/6 SerpentShrine Cavern, and 3/4 Tempest Keep:The Eye. Now both are set to face the "Guild Killers" Lady Vashj and Kael'thas!

Looks like the mic is still on! Bolty's let me into here, to try to fill Mongojerry's shoes. That's a tall order, but we'll see what I can do! Since I'll be posting new tidbits of info here, you can drop me a line at if you have some news of interest, or find something you think I should be seeing. So, on to the news!

Still here?  Obviously it's been a while (almost a year) since any updates have occurred on the front page.  If anyone would like to take a stab at being a Lurker Lounge content administrator, please get in touch with me.

What makes a good content admin?  Well, here's the Jeff Foxworthy edition:

• If you like reading forums related to your favorite game multiple times a week, you might be a good content admin.
• If you enjoy being the guy who informs your friends about in-depth game issues, strategy, and news, you might be a good content admin.
• If you get a kick out of being "in the know" about current game affairs, you might be a good content admin.
• If you have an analytical bent and get a kick out of reading/writing strategy just as much as playing, you might be a good content admin.

No HTML experience or knowledge is needed.  You also get to put up fun screenshots in our Screenshot That's Somewhat Interesting section.  What you will NOT get by being a content admin are:

• Girls
• Money
• Respect

What you WILL get includes the adoration of your fellow gamers, and thanks from Bolty who will rake in all the ad revenue you generate, especially when he finally sells the site to IGE for $2 million.  Oh, forget that last part.

Mirajj has the latest patch notes for the 2.1 patch on the Player Test Realm.  And in breaking news, the 2.1 patch will also introduce guild banks and in-game voice chat.