131 – The Instance: That Hunter Is Made Of Nerf!

Blizzard Announces Patch 3.0.8, Changes Everything
Well, not really. But when the preliminary patch notes for version 3.0.8 of WoW came out this week, there was a lot yelling. And a little crying. Mostly questioning. And some rejoicing. We run down the big spots of bother.

A Deluxe Edition Of The Minis Game, Just In Time For Winter’s Veil
If you still have some shopping to do, and who doesn’t, Blizzard may have the fix for the WoW lover in your life: A deluxe edition of the WoW Miniatures game just hit the Blizzard store. It has everything two people need to play: two 3-figure parties from the playable factions (Alliance, Horde, or Monster), as well as matching gameplay bases, one of three different deluxe game boards with moveable terrain pieces (Ashenvale, Tanaris, or Winterspring), and a World of Warcraft TCG preview pack.

Re-Customization Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry
Ready for a new look in World of Warcraft, but the barbershop’s just not cutting it? You can now change a character’s gender, face, skin color, and other cosmetic features (such as tauren horn styles or a night elf’s facial markings) using the brand-new Character Re-Customization service. Available at the Account Management page for a flat fee of $15, Character Re-Customization covers all available cosmetic options for a single character and includes an optional name change to go with your new look.

In Case You Never Got To Fight The Farting Princess
Blizzard blue poster Daelo announced this week that old world instances are going to be a lot easier to enter and complete for characters who have never done them before. Specifically, “The ritual objects that used to require 3 players to activate in Blackrock Spire and Uldaman now only require 1. You no longer need quintessence to summon Majordomo Executus. You no longer need the Scepter of Celebras to teleport to the final section of Maraudon. You no longer need the Mallet of Zul’Farrak to summon Gahz’rilla.”

Town Cryer
We talk to Instance listener Lisa Curley, AKA Zewt, about the rampant misogyny on The Instance, as well as the fragility of women.

Also,

Daniel C. writes: I play Kuniyo a Dwarven Hunter on Galakrond. I was talking with my guild master the other day about the guild bank and keeping it organized. The way he has done things in the past was to just vendor things that have been in the bank for a while. I suggested that it might be better to just toss the stuff on the AH for more guild profit. The problem I have is I have the memory of a goldfish and can’t remember what was in the guild bank and what wasn’t. Do you know of a mod that would help me keep track of this kind of problem?

Ryan M. writes: I live in British Columbia, Canada and I was wondering if since I won’t be getting Wrath of the Lich King until Christmas if there was anything I should do before getting the Expansion.

Blizzard Goes High-Def
One of the design goals for Wrath of the Lich King was to elevate storytelling in World of Warcraft to new heights. Northrend is brought to life by engaging quests, memorable characters, beautiful environments, and the introduction of a brand-new feature: in-game cinematics. The first of these cinematics, The Wrath Gate, is now available for viewing and download on the Wrath of the Lich King website, and it’s presented in high definition. We’ve got a link to the movie, along with short story by Evelyn Fredericksen called “Glory”.

Get Yourself To Rochester, Or Just Support A Good Cause
Millennium Games and Hobbies in Rochester, NY is hosting a Minis event the weekend of December 19-21, and all the proceeds will go to Toys for Tots. In addition to helping a good cause, the event will feature some special and valuable prizes. Each event at Millennium Games will have an entry fee of $10, 20, 30 or $40, and prizes include several Red Bearon Loot Cards, dozens of minis booster sets, and the winners of the two main events will each receive two of the original four paint masters from the WoW Minis Starter set. If you can’t get to Rochester next weekend, do go to Toys For Tots and lend some support.