Alliance vs the Horde: Which Faction will your Primary Character be on?
Alliance	225	38%
Horde	214	36%
Daboo?	48	8%
Not Getting WoW	101	17%
TOTAL	588	100

The distribution is pretty even, and that'd good! We certainly wouldn't want one faction to be clearly more popular than the other if we're going to have factional PVP! However, humanity still prevails.... just! And, and the number of people who don't plan to get the game is dropping, and yes, it's definately worth the money.

Update: The Poll is now over, and the results can be found here. Thanks to our intervention, Starcraft managed to come on top with a narrow success, beating Zelda by 179 votes, and only 0.2%. Good job fellow viewers! We were really the deciding factor this time!

You can tell basically how powerful an item is by its color and level. 'Grey' items are worthless vendor trash.  'Golden' items are basic items; you buy these off vendors or make them with the more basic recipes in a trade skill.  Green items will be most of your gear.  Now we get into the problem items. 'Blue' (unique) items are common enough that a casual gamer can eventually afford them, though many people simply dont see them as worth the investment.

He goes on to describe some of his encounters and experiences with particular weapons, namely a duel with a tank 3 levels above him who didn't even take him to half health before he had won the battle. 

It's an interesting read, both for Beta Testers and non-testers alike.  Give it a look here and let him know what you think!

To wet your appetite, here's a typical skill:

Hamstring: -Next Attack Skill Type: Combat Maneuver Target: Enemy Requires: Melee Weapon A shot designed to maim the enemy, Hamstring slows the enemy and deals a small amount of extra damage. It is best used on enemies who flee, such as Humonoids just before they reach 15% of their life. This allows you to take out fleeing enemies, before they call for help. The spell also works great when combined with a Warlock's fear. Rank Required Level Cost Rage Cooldown Extra Damage Damage/Rage Slow Duration 1 8 3 50 10 1.0s 4 0.40 20s 2 22 40 10 1.0s 10 1.00 20s 3 38 1 70 10 1.0s 15 1.50 20s

Be sure to read the rest:

• Warrior Guide
• Post Your Questions

This completes our guide of all currently available classes in the beta, we'll add the Hunter of course, once he becomes playable! Expect to see equally detailed guides on each of the 8 races in future.

Expect updates soon! We aplogise for the inconvenience.

Rabbits who got in the way were slain, even the putrid zombies or the dreaded black widows could do little but be trampled under the onslaught. Darkshire, an outpost unfortunate enough to be in the way, was conquered. It's defenders, outnumbered 20 to 1, fought bravely, but in vain. 

Within a matter a minutes, the once peaceful town was turned into a sprawling disco, filled with dancing orcs. Alliance players who just arrived at the city looked baffled, confused... but there was nothing they could do, except watched as the army marched towards Stormwind...

What ensued was pure chaos, and one of the most dazzling events in the World of Warcraft. If it weren't for the fact that so many characters reduced my computer to a abysmal 3 frames per second, I'd still be logged on!

• Chib's Battle Report
• Siege of Stormwind Screenshots

This is an almost live update from the World of Warcraft, enjoy!

An Auction House will be placed in each major city (Stormwind, Ironforge, Darnassus, Ogrimmar, Thunderbluff and Undercity). These Auction Houses will be faction specific, allowing Alliance to trade with Alliance and Horde to trade with Horde. Additionally, there will be one non-faction based Auction House in Booty Bay. The Booty Bay Auction House will have the same functionality as the aforementioned faction based Auction Houses, with the additional capability of allowing trade between Horde and Alliance characters.

The mechanics of the Auctions are still being created, however some details are available:

Sellers will be able to place their items up for bid.

Buyers will be able to search for items.

Sellers will be able to set minimum prices on their items.

Buyers will be able place bids on items.

Item’s won will be delivered through the new in-game mail system for pickup.

We look forward to it!

• World of Warcraft Mailbag FAQ
• Questing in World of Warcraft
• Some Special WoW Weapons
• Win the WoW Beta Contest

Be sure to check them out! In addition, there's also a new Warcraft 3 Map, Dragon Falls over here.

Even as I type this, the conversion process is underway.  It's a long and grueling process, both for the person converting and for the many forumers itching to post about their day.  I want to personally give my thanks to our very own AlienInfection, our Tech Admin, for personally coverting our forums over.  I'm sure the forumers appreciate what you're doing.

To you Infoceptorians, please do not re-register your accounts.  Your accounts are already there, just not available currently.  Once the conversion process is complete, you will be able to log on just as you would have any other time.  Thank you.

UPDATE:  The post conversion took significantly longer than expected.  After more than 12 hours of working today, AlienInfecton finally crashed, and he'll finish up in the morning.

Flametongue Totem is great in parties, espeically with rogues. It effectively gives all party members 20% chance to deal 55 Fire Damage in the mid level 20s. That's usually a good 5-6 dps per fighter, and up to an extra 20 dps on duel wielding rogues (which effectively doubles their damage output, especially with Slice and Dice). As this spell doesn't show up with a bugg icon (since it counts as enchanting weapons, not players), many WoW players don't notice it and go, "WoW Buff!". Still, its hell effective.

Read the rest here!

There's a few more as well.  Drop by his thread here and give them a look.  Plus, give your suggestions on other things he should post.  I'm sure he'll be more than happy to oblige.  If you haven't stopped by our World of Warcraft Gallery yet, be sure and give it a look.  We have all sorts of awesome screenshots from in-game.  Stay tuned for up-to-date information!

In World of Warcraft, every type of character has a specific playing style. The Tanks taunt the enemies and try to absorb the damage, the Mage and Rogue deals lots of damage while doing as much as they can to avoid being fired upon by the enemy, while the Priest keeps track of everyone to shield and resurrect them. Each class has a different playing styles, and sometimes it gets slightly dull performing the same role in each and every party.

Here's where the Shaman really shines, as you have the opportunity to try out virtually every role within the party. On the instances where I was allied with mages and priests, I'd be up in front with a Stoneskin Totem absorbing all the damage, when allied with a group of warriors, I could sit back, plant down a few totems and then concentrate on healing damaged comrades. Then, when soloing, or when against huge odds, you can throw away all your mana and dish out some powerful damage.

We also give some details of PVP using the Shaman, and how his damage output compares to other classes. Be sure to give it a read!

Solo game 1[Wyverngod] vs [AnGryGrUnT]
Solo game 2[namo444] vs [B3TTLEMAGE]
Solo game 3[Vallient_death] vs [Commissioner]

Team game 1[Wyverngod][namo444] vs [B3TTLEMAGE][EliteNoobie]
Team game 2[Thunder-Cleese][l337skillz] vs [Commissioner][daskannichen]

Apparently, Game 3 hasn't been verified for one reason or another, but regardless of the outcome, Clan iC is still victorious overall! 

This match's MVP goes to namo "for doing a great job and delivering us 2 wins".

Our very own Wyverngod has been the one primarily setting up these matches and informing us of their outcomes.  Kudos to him for doing a great job!  He's made a thread here describing the matches from this weekend, as well as showing the up-to-date clan statistics.  Give it a read if you're curious as to how our clan is doing, or if you have a clan and would like to set up a match against Clan iC, drop us a line and we'll set something up!

Be sure to check them out.

In most RPGs, players in a part generally have three different roles. The tank that absorbs damage, the artillery, who deals damage, and the healer who keeps the party alive. What role fits you best?
The Tank	66	19%
The Artillery	176	51%
The Healer	59	17%
Daboo?	42	12%
TOTAL	343	100

Looks like the answer's obvious, people just want to deal damage! Well, we will certainly be seeing a lot of mages and rogues around then! The healer is the least popular, and the tank not much better... so now you know why healers are always in such high demand!

In Ninja vs Sumarai, players take control of either the Ninja's or the Samurai (duh). Featuring custom graphics, sounds and a whole lot, as well as massive siege warfare, it is definitely worth trying out!

Download it here.

Got a scenario? Be sure to upload it into our Map Archive.

• These files can only be found in language versions other than English
• The sound files are English, regardless of the language version (at least they are in the german one)
• There are no entries in SLK/TXT files related to the Goblin Alchemist
• The model can't be loaded in the WE
• The model can be loaded with W3V (you have to add a listfile to War3Patch.mpq though)
• The skin can be viewed and looks quite funny

Kudos to Duh of our forums for providing us with this information.  The thread can be read here.  Feel free to drop by our forums and let us know what you think on this topic.  Have you discovered this new hero yourself?  Do you think we'll see it in a later patch?  Let us know!

Looks like quite a spectacle!  I wouldn't complain if I had to be there :P  I'm sure none of you would either!  Stay tuned to Infoceptor for the latest news on E3 and the upcoming Blizzard games!

The hype behind this game is definitely justified. Even though Nova is the new gal on the block, she could set a new standard for action/adventure titles, and leave big boys like Solid Snake and Sam Fischer eating her dust.

Sounds like it'll be fun!

• The next push will feature a level cap of Level 55.
  
• Another new aspect that should be in the game soon will be a brand-new in-game e-mail client. Another new aspect that should be in the game soon will be a brand-new in-game e-mail client.
  
• Ajami, the Burning Steppes, the Hinterlands, Tamaris, and Feralas will be featured in the next push.
  
• Players can take a bat or griffin ride to an instanced zone where players will have to attain a variety of tactical objectives within a limited period of time. Another is to designate certain areas within the "war zone" between the Alliance and the Horde as free fire zones where anyone who enters is a legitimate target.
  
• The dungeon team is working to vary the style of combat that players will face -- many of the new dungeons will be filled with low-level creatures that attack in swarms and can't be crowd controlled

Sounds exciting, and we can't wait! Read it here.

Well there ya go, that's the infamous Lifesbain!  While you're at it, feel free to drop by our WoW Beta Screenshot Gallery!

"We're pleased to announce that World of Warcraft is nearing completion," said Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder. "When we set out to create a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, our goal was to give players an incredibly dynamic online gaming experience filled with endless possibilities while expanding the scope of the Warcraft universe. We look forward to accomplishing this goal with the release of World of Warcraft later this year."

The official press release is quite a read, and it details numerous key features in the game, such as:

• A revolutionary secondary-skill system that allows players to create truly original characters with unique combinations of abilities.

• Multiple races to choose from, including Night Elves, Humans, Orcs, Tauren, Dwarves, Undead, Trolls, and Gnomes.

A very good read indeed, and for the entire press release, click here!

Now onto SC: G.  In this press release, we read a little about the background of Nova, a little about Nova's special abilities to carry out covert operations, and a little about StarCraft's history.

The hands-on E3 presentation shows off the gritty sci-fi universe in great detail and features notable advancements to the dynamic StarCraft series, including new characters, weapons, and planetary settings. In the game's diverse new environments, players will explore uncharted terrain and encounter menacing adversaries never before seen by followers of the StarCraft franchise.

Just like the WoW press release, this one is also a good read for you SC:G fanatics.  Read the entire press release here.

It's coming down to the wire, folks.  The pieces are coming together, and the time is drawing nigh.  Before we know it, we're going to be sitting at home playing our own personal copy of either World of Warcraft or Starcraft: Ghost.  I know I'm looking forward to it, as I'm sure many of you are.

Our very own sworen has started a thread in our Official Forums concerning the topic of E3.  You're invited to give it a look, and also to comment on the topic at hand if you so choose.  Stay tuned, we'll keep you updated!

Warriors go through the whole massive tank/melee damage dealer, of course, and they're darn good at it. What I didnt expect was that I would be able to out-heal my shaman friend, provided I can find cloth for bandages. Really, how you play the character and what trades you take define your play experience just as much as what class you play.

He goes on to talk about his experiences with his weaponry, what types suit him well and which types don't.  He explains how when he was level 15, he spent his "life savings" and purchased a new weapon that definately does his tanking character justice.  He also describes a flaw or two that the game has, at least in his opinion.

A couple other Beta Testers of ours have also thrown in their opinions on the topic, as well as provided some new information of their own.  It's well worth a read if you have just a couple minutes to spare.  You can find the thread here on our Official World of Warcraft forum!

"Half-Life 2," which was originally slated to be released last year, is "still realistic" for a 2004 launch, said O'Neil. "World of Warcraft," he said, will launch in North America in November and in Korea the following month.

Did ya catch that?  According to the last sentence, WoW is slated to be released this November the US and in December in Korea.  

In my personal opinion, that's in one respect good timing, and in another, bad timing.  Allow me to explain. 

From reading threads on the WoW Official Forums, as well as the discussions of our own dedicated forumers, it seems that most people would have liked to see a summer release.  The obvious reason being that a good percentage of Blizzard fans are students who have three months to kill playing their video games until the upcoming fall semestre.  That means over 90 days straight of leveling for a lot of people. 

On the other hand, these same people now will have a more productive summer, be it a job, whatever, and soon after the WoW release, they'll have their holiday breaks to delve into the vast world.  Personally, I'd rather see a summer release as well, but that's not our choice to make.  We'll just have to keep pressing the Beta Testers for information, screenshots, and journals for a few extra months.  For those of you interested in reading the entire VU write-up, here ya go.  For a related thread in our forums, click here and post your thoughts on this topic.  Stay tuned for the latest news!

Things you can expect include:

a) More than 45 minutes of new dialogue from terrans, protoss, and zerg

b) Almost 15 minutes of music composed specifically for these missions

c) 5 brand new blizzard quality splash screens

d) Never before seen triggered events and bosses

e) A lot of LotC storyline questions answered

f) More than two hours of game play

If you're interested, you can download everything here.  I haven't played it personally, so I can't comment on the gameplay, but we do have a thread that was just started on our forums here, and you can check that out and read any comments that have been made on this new release!

Since Infoceptor's current layout was designed just over 3 years ago, 3 sites have blatantly copied it. Now we make a tribute to Forgotten Soldierz, the fourth to have the tenacity, and stupidity to do th every same thing!

Many attempts I have seen, but this one is so hilarious that it deserves a look. While you're there, drop by their forums  and tell them what you think!

Which of these roles is your favorite? Vote in this week's poll!

Do you like the changes made in Frozen Throne V1.15?
Totally	129	27%
Kind of	110	23%
Not Really	21	4%
Never Tried It	224	46%
TOTAL	484	100

It looks like many have lost interest in the game, for nearly half of our viewers never bothered to try the patch. I guess, many is now waiting for Blizzard's next release. Out of those who did, the response was very much positive. So if you got tired of the unbalances that plagued the previous patch, now's the time to try the game! Unless of course, you're a World of Warcraft beta tester!

The new patch brings in a ton of changes, additions, tweaks, and nerfs.  It looks like this is going to be a lot of fun, and it might just liven up Warcraft a bit, which is being shadowed some-what by the future release of World of Warcraft. 

Our very own 2xtreme has made a thread showing all the changes made.  It's quite a read, and there's an insane amount of information.  Read all about it here!

One of the most involving and fun classes to play in Warcraft 3 is rogue, simply because of the amount of micro you have in his fights. Where's the Paladin just involving whacking at the enemy and pressing '1' for Holy Strike whenever the cooldown allows you to, the Rogue is all about combat moves, combos, and battle tactics.

Read about what we have to say on this amazing class, with all stats for skills naturally included. Taking a random skill:

Gouge -Instant Build-Up Move Target: Enemy Adds: 1 Combo Point Requires: Melee Weapon Required Position: In front of Target Unlike most Rogue skills, this one actually requires the Rogue to be in front of the enemy. The rogue draws his knife, and gauges the enemy across the face, dealing X damage and dazing them for a short period of time. Dazed opponents are unable to move or attack. Attacking the enemy will automatically end Daze, much like it does to sleep. This spell is usually used to get your rogue behind the target. A favorite combo is the gouge the opponent, walk behind him, then backstab him. Great damage! This move is limited by cooldown, so use it whenever possible. Rank Required Level Cost Energy Cooldown Range Daze Duration Damage Damage/Energy 1 6 2 45 10s 5 yd 4.0s 10 0.25 2 18 25 45 10s 5 yd 4.0s 20 0.25

In Star Wars, Aeon of Strife, players may opt to join either the Light or Dark side in an epic battle for the galaxy. Featuriong over 20 heroes with unique custom spells and abilities, its polished a blast to play. The new edition comes in two version, a large one with custom sounds, music etc for epic lan games, and a lite version of Battle.net play.

• LAN Edition
• Battle.net Edition

Got a scenerio? Be sure to send it in!

Each character will earn one talent point per level, which they can then spend on a variety of Talents designed specifically for their class. Talents will be categorized into three different varieties as listed below:

General Talents: These are talents that will increase many, or possibly all, spells/abilities that a character has. An example of a General Talent might be: +1 to all Shadow damage.

Spell/Ability Specific Talents: These are talents that will increase one specific spell/ability that a character has. An example of a Spell/Ability Specific Talent might be: +5 to Holy Strike damage.

Exceptional Talents: These are talents that will add a new spell/ability to your character. This will be a spell/ability not available in any other way.

Additionally, we are planning to add a mechanism that will allow players to remove talents from their characters, for situations where a mistake was made. This will not be done freely, as with the Skill Point removal system. There will be a very meaningful cost, or penalty, associated with removing them, to prohibit situational Talent removal abuse.

Sounds fine, except one little problem I'm worried about. The introduction of Spell/Ability specific talents will take Warcraft 3 one step closer to Diablo 2, where players spent a limited resource buffing their spells. This will encourage players to stick with the 2-3 spells that they buff, and forget about everything else. The fun of Warcraft 3 so far is the virtually every spell or skill for each class is useful in some situation. We'd hate to see that lost.

Of course. It's a fantasy, after all.	[ 34 ]	[52.31%]
Negative. That's just too - weird?	[ 2 ]	[3.08%]
I have no opinion in this matter.	[ 2 ]	[3.08%]
	[ 27 ]	[41.54%]

Be sure to check them out!

• Rogue Spell Gallery

Well, you should know what's coming up tomorrow!

What are some of the animals a Hunter can tame?

Some examples of animals that a Hunter can tame are: raptors, tigers, wolves, bears, crabs, boars, buzzards, spiders, prowlers and scorpions, to name only a few. In fact, almost all monsters of the “beast” class can be tamed.

Can we get an update on the European beta?

 There are many factors we must consider before we can launch the beta in additional regions. Unlike the Warcraft strategy games, World of Warcraft requires that a complex regional server infrastructure and a local GM/support staff be in place to provide the excellent customer service and unparalleled gameplay experience that we intend to deliver. In addition, we must translate content for each region in which the game will be available, so that players will be able to recognize the quest text and therefore be able to effectively test the game. The European beta will be coming soon, please stay tuned to www.blizzard.com for further announcements regarding the World of Warcraft beta tests.

There's a little tid-bit, and there's a lot more there as well.  If you have any of your own questions, visit us on our Official World of Warcraft Forum and let us know!  Just ask questions, comment on what other people have said, and most importantly, just have fun!

For the remainder of Kat's thread, click here.  It's definately worth a read.

Here we publish a complete guide on how to obtain your first Totem, that of the Earth. Included are screenshots, a map and everything you could possibly need.

Read it here. Expect us to bring out more quest walkthroughs in future!

Be sure to send some comments his way. If you've got great art, don't hesistate to send them in!

Even in its beta state WoW is more polished, satisfying, and engaging than most online RPGs on the market. It seems to do a number of things right: It's fast enough to allow for shorter spurts of play; its interface is simple enough for rookies; and its gameplay is immediately rewarding. When an unfinished product is this fun, we have problems comprehending how great the final game might be.

Not bad! Read the rest over here.

• Lifesbain has wrote up a short piece on his impressions with the Warrior.
• For Beta Testers, the Barrens will undergo lots of improvement in the next push. Read about it here.

Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone for participating in the beta and in providing feedback on the balance changes, the new Goblin Tinker, and especially the new clan ladder and matchmaking functionality.

They've also announced that the winners of the Beta Competition with receive an e-mail within the next few weeks, and that the public version of the part should be out in the next few days!  For those of you who didn't participate in this beta, your wait is almost up!  I, for one, look forward to playing this patch.  Have fun!

Do you think Rest States should be kept in World of Warcraft? [Discuss It]
Yes!	225	53%
No!	71	17%
Don't Care	125	30%
TOTAL	421	100 %	..

Well, looks like Blizzard has won out again! Despite such a contronversial beginning, Rest States have recieved a positive response. I accomplish Blizzard for this amazing feat!

Rejuvenation -Instant Cooldown: 1.0s Target: Self or Ally Duration: 30min The Target regenerates lost hit points over a period of time. This spell basically negates damage dealt by creatures of lower level than the player. Always use this spell as you engage in battle, you'll often come out with more hp! This spell is far more mana efficient that Healing Touch, and should thus be used out of battle as well. Rank Required Level Cost Mana Range HP Healed Hp Healed/Mana 1 4 80 20 40 yrd 3hp/s for 12s 1.80 2 10 7 50 35 40 yrd 5hp/s for 12s 1.71 3 16 18 55 40 yrd 8.3hp/s for 12s 1.81 4 22 40 85 40 yrd 13.7hp/s for 12s 1.93 5 28 70 115 40 yrd 19.7hp/s for 12s 2.06 6 34 1 20 145 40 yrd 26hp/s for 12s 2.03 7 40 2 145 40 yrd 33.7hp/s for 12s 2.24

Read the rest below:

• World of Warcraft Druid Guide
• Ask Your Druid Questions

So, it'll be the Rogue next week, I think!

• Faction PVP Combat in WoW

Your comments, as always, are appreciated!

Basalt Faults is an attractive melee map designed for great 2vs2 battles. Featuring a nice design, plenty of creeps, it's certainly as good as any official map. So if you're up for change, be sure to download it.

Got a map? Be sure to upload it into our Map Archive!