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.

It's official!  The highly anticipated expansion to the World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, will have its release date postponed to January 2007.

Blizzard Entertainment® today announced that the release date for World of Warcraft®: The Burning Crusade™, the highly anticipated expansion for World of Warcraft, will be in January 2007. By adding a few extra weeks to the development cycle beyond its original target date, Blizzard will be able to extend the closed beta test and further refine the new content that will ship with the game.

There's a lot of excitement over the release of the Burning Crusade.  Some highlights on the Lounge:

• Nobbie just got his beta key.
• There will be new level 70 Alterac Valley items, but you'll have to use the new token system to get them, according to Monkey.
• The hunter talents have been released, as spotted by WimpySmurf.
• The druid talents have been revamped, as spotted by oldmandennis.
• A lot of professions are changing, according to Wildfire and Nobbie.
• Healing talents will be multiplicative and take into account +healing gear.

Blizzard has been very hush hush over what the new Blood Elf priest racial spells will be in the expansion (very likely because they're not sure themselves).  However, it was revealed that the priest racial spells for all priests will be changing in the expansion:

I will say this though, just so you walk away with one new piece of knowledge -- each will get one brand new ability, and one that already exists in-game now among the existing available races for the priest class.

So, one priest racial ability currently in the game will be given to all priests.  Starshards for everyone, amirite?

The 1.12.1 mini-patch has been released.  Check out Sword of Doom's Lurker Lounge thread on the subject for more details!