Taking a break.

I've been playing WoW since around the time it came out... so like many of

you, I've had my 24 hour WoW days. A lot of the time i had those days for a

week at a time. I started noticing that after constant playing day after day

and never taking a break that I was gradually doing worse.

Well eventually I'd be "forced" to take a break for a few days by some RL

events and live my life. I'd come back 10x more ready to play and more focused

than before. I played way better and it wasn't boring to me. I think what it

was is that I'd get so used to playing that it became more of a job than

something I enjoyed to do. Grinding bg's over and over or running heroics all

day just for some badges turned into this terrible task that made me stop

caring and play worse.

What I'm trying to say is this: TAKE A BREAK! This game will be here when you're

done I promise. Everyone could use a little outside time, or some time with

the family. Even the most unsocial people can use breaks. Find a sidewalk

and buy some chalk and just go to town. Who cares what you do. It helps!

Sorry for the short article. This just crossed my mind and I felt like writing

it.

And HERE is a video for you to check out if you're bored.

Legendary Items Re-Imagined

A life long friend of mine recently made some very cool fan art. As long as i can remember he has always been modifying video game content in some way. Whether its Storyline, Artwork, or Character development, he's always impressed me with his creations. So enjoy my friend Devo's Art Gallery and Revamped Legendary Weapons!!! Oh yeah he is also the site's main artist!!!

When I was five years old I had the good fortune of playing the very first Final Fantasy on the NES and ever since I have been an RPG addict. Much has changed since those days and I have gained a great deal of experience over the years and my tastes have been refined. However, some things never change and for me one of the most appealing parts of any good RPG or fantasy world is its lore, especially surrounding any legendary and mythic items that exist within. That brings me to the point of this little project of mine. World of Warcraft has some very awesome legendary weapons weaved into its lore but as the years have gone by, many have become outdated and obsolete to players and that is an absolute shame in so many ways to let such things go to waste. With the launch of Cataclysm, so many things have undergone a complete overhaul and update and in that spirit I have decided to do the same with all of those outdated legendary weapons and breathe new life into them by updating them to Cataclysm standards. So buckle up and prepare for a nostalgia trip as we revisit WoW's very first legendary weapon: Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros...

Wouldn't it be odd to see someone in a lvl 85 raid group or in the Arena wielding this bad boy nowadays? Since breathing new life into outdated legendary weapons is the whole point of this endeavor, I figure we'll just start from the beginning and work our way up. For being WoW's first legendary weapon, Sulfuras does a great job of being bad ass. I didn't really have to change too much here. Along with the level 85 mathematical upgrade I gave her a stylin' new inventory icon and some rather appropriate flavor text from Ragnaros, himself. Give yourself time to take it in and when you're ready we'll move on to another old school favorite: Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windeseeker...

Who doesn't love this one? When you still see people going out of their way to get this thing even though it is nowhere near the caliber of current weapons you know you have a truly awesome weapon on your hands. I've always liked this weapon but I really feel that Blizzard didn't pay enough attention to it and make it feel truly legendary. Well, that is now a thing of the past and Thunderfury has joined the ranks of the elite. Beyond the obvious level 85 stat increase I gave her the modern treatment and added some much needed flavor text and created a brand new inventory icon. That old generic one just degraded the feeling of a weapon that is supposed to be legend, in my opinion. With that said and my small rant concluded, we are ready to move on in our journey. Druids rejoice! The next weapon is for you: Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian...

Ah yes, the staff of Medivh in all of its glory. I love the lore behind this staff but I really didn't care for the way it was actually used in-game. I took the time to really research the history of Atiesh as well as its creator, and came to the conclusion that this epic weapon was really best suited for Druids. Thus, we have my new rendition that is strictly for said class. Beyond that change and the level and stat caps I added some flavor text to give it a bit more of commanding presence. Our next stop brings us to one of the most controversial weapons in all of WoW...one that is chock full of more lore than almost any: the Corrupted Ashbringer...

Ashbringer...what more can we say about such an epic weapon? That is exactly why I had a bit of a problem with the original Blizzard version of this weapon. I realize that it is a very weakened form but, even in its corrupted state, it is still Ashbringer and thus a legendary and very powerful weapon. Plus, when you think about what you had to go through to get this thing, I'd say that it needed a bit more respect through better and more lore-accurate stats. Anyway, this concludes our tour of the weapons of Azeroth. It is now time to turn our attention elsewhere and journey through the Dark Portal into Outland. So muster all of your courage and step into the land of demons.

I friggin' love this bow. It is one of the coolest-looking bows (if not the coolest) in the whole game and just looks legendary. Sadly, there is no lore as of yet behind this killer weapon so we have nothing other than looks and stats to go by. Other than the level and stat increase as well as the addition of the mastery stat, there are really no changes to speak of. With that covered, we turn our attention to one of WoW's most iconic and unique weapons: the Warglaive of Azzinoth...

Come on, guys, this is Illidan's bad ass weapon and its a shame that it is worthless now. The lore behind these blades just makes them even more epic than they already are due to their wicked design. Once wielded by Azzinoth, a doom guard, 10,000 years ago who was slain by Illidan and then passed to him. He spent the next 10 millennia training himself to use them and he became pretty damn deadly with them. I guess 10,000 years of practicing anything will make you awesome at it. I really wanted these bad boys to be worth it again and this is the finished product. I really don't know if I made it powerful enough to do it justice. New to this weapon other than the level and stat cap is some flavor text and a redone inventory icon. Why the original icon showed it as blue I'll never know. Anyway, this is only one half of the set so I give you part 2...  

...epic, huh? Well, we have traversed the demon-infested lands of Outland to view the legendary weapons it has to offer and now must travel to the frozen wastes of Northrend and take a second look at some legendaries from the land of the Lich King. First up is Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings...

I know what you're thinking. First "Why bother, its only a five level difference?" and "Its already powerful enough". To those who know RPGs well enough five levels is a huge difference, especially at or near end-game. Just take a look at WotLK weapons as compared to Cataclysm ones and you'll find that there is a pretty sharp rise in power within those five small levels. Any healer class will agree with me when I say that this thing is just too awesome to get left behind. Even though the upgrade from 80 to 85 brought only minimal change it is still more than enough to keep the Hammer of Ancient Kings above and beyond the curve and a prime choice for PvPers everywhere. That brings us to the most current legendary weapon, you know, the one that hits like a force of nature: Shadowmourne...

Could you imagine this bad boy at level 85? Now you don't have to because I already did. As with Val'anyr the upgrade in the stats was slight but enough to keep it ahead of the curve. Its not like this thing needed any real buffs since it was already killer enough. What's left now? We've covered the three major areas of WoW so what else is there? This is where the real imagination comes in. The remaining items are those weapons that have a place within the lore of Azeroth but have not been and probably never will be within the reach of players. Because of that, these items are entirely of my own imagining and truly are "what if" weapons. The first in this whimsical section of weapons is one that often gets forgotten but nonetheless is an important part of history: Light's Vengeance...

Its hard to believe that at one time Arthas was one of the good guys and a paladin, to boot. For those who don't know, during that time he wielded a greathammer called Light's Vengeance that he eventually tossed aside in Frostmourne cave in favor of his new toy. While the lore is quite good for this weapon, I found no real references as to what it looked like other than generic models used in-game and one or two artists renditions that were very plain. I took the liberty to create my own vision of this weapon that would better suit a prince and paladin while still retaining the modest nature of a paladin. I have always thought that it would have been cool if you could have gone to Frostmourne cave and recovered Arthas' hammer for yourself. Everything for this weapon from the design to the inventory icon to the flavor text is my own creation. I just thought this one should have made it in for nostalgia's sake. Up next is Gorehowl, Hand of Hellscream...

From here on out you will seeing weapons that you would NEVER see Blizzard letting players get hold of. However, that won't stop me from making them for my own enjoyment. Here's a question to really ponder upon: What if you could actually loot the kick ass weapons of the faction leaders? Well, that is exactly the point here. Here we have Grom Hellscream's axe that really needed some help from Blizz's original. The reason for the stats being so high is simple: Why else do you think a faction boss hits so damn hard? Up next is the Sunstrider's Longbow...

I loved the lore behind this bow and I had to make it this incredible in order to properly do it justice. Just think of Sylvanas Windrunner nailing you with this thing. Makes sense to me. From here we don't go very far as we take a look at another legendary Blood Elf weapon: Flamestrike, Runeblade of the Sunstriders...

This one was alot of fun to make. I love the Blood Elves and I love the lore behind this weapon. Kael'thas told Arthas that, unlike human blades, elven ones only strengthen when repaired and who knows what else he may have done to buff it. In that spirit I incorporated that into its uber stats. As for the model I chose for this weapon, I thought it fitting that it be an augmented form of the Warp Slicer from Tempest Keep. Up next is one of my favorite weapons from Warcraft lore: Shalamayne, The Shadow Reaver...

Check this one out! The weapon of Alliance leader, King Varian Wrynn. Wrynn is one of the most bad ass characters in the entirety of Warcraft and his weapon is equally so. We have come to the end of our journey as only two weapons remain. However, they are THE weapons in Warcraft lore and hold power beyond anyone's imagining and I made sure they had the stats to match. So here is the first of them: Ashbringer...

Holy crap, right?! Yeah, I know that this is way beyond broken but stop for a second and think. This weapon single-handedly took out entire undead and Scourge armies and eventually shattered Frostmourne. This is as epic as it gets and shouldn't be nerfed to make someone happy. Here it is in all of its glory in what I think the stats should look like if a player could wield such a glorious weapon. That leaves only one more weapon and I am sure you can guess what it is. I give you the granddaddy of them all, Frostmourne...

Here it is, folks. The weapon that changed the course of history in Azeroth, Outland, and Northrend by itself. The most powerful artifact in WoW's legendium and greatsword of the Lich King. Any weapon that can threaten the existence of an entire world by itself SHOULD be overpowered and broken...period! So, enough said. This is my vision of what World of Warcraft's most powerful weapon's stats should look like in the hypothetical hands of a player character.

Devo (The Artist), The Lich King
And here's something for fun. I love the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and have modded it quite heavily. In this picture is literally myself after using a 3d modeling program to create my face and place into Oblivion. And yes, I am wearing Arthas' gear and wielding Frostmourne. Mwahahaha!

Well there u have it guys enjoy and thanks again to DEVO!!!

3 ways to spend your tax refund on WoW!!

So i know a lot of you are itching to get your money back from the government (me included) so I've created a list of products to help you improve your WoW Gaming Experience...

Razer's DeathAdder

This is the mouse i use personally and I'm telling you i can't play with anything else. This thing is super sensitive and very customizable. It comes with Death Adder Software that lets u adjust sensitivity, dpi, and programmable buttons. The sleek design allows it to become a extension of your hand. It just feels natural in your hand!! The one i personally use has blue LED's that light up and pulse. It also includes two buttons conveniently placed near your thumbs. Great for those clutch spells on your action bar. They now offer it in black and a left hand edition. For a measly $59.99 you can't go wrong with this purchase. They have detailed description and Customer Testimonials on their website. Now get rid of those out dated mice and go check it out here!!

Logitech Gaming Keyboard G510

And if your considering a new mouse...I'm gonna assume you could use a new keyboard as well and there is none greater than the Logitech G510. This keyboard was made for gaming. It includes so many extra features that will really improve your gaming experience. The first thing that really sticks out is the Heads Up Display built into the top of keyboard. Not only does it show your computer's vital stats but will also shows your Health/Mana Pool and when u receive whispers. You can also customize the color of back light that best suits your mood or gaming rig!! One of the best features of this keyboard it has built in integrated audio controls for your headset. And i don't mean mute and talk buttons...this keyboard will actually turn your analog 3.5mm headset into a usb audio device for the best quality possible. Very useful for communicating amongst the WoW community. Of course the keyboard comes standard with media controls and Internet controls (most do these days)...but not many come with this amazing feature..Game/Desktop mode. I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally hit the windows button and alt tabbed in crucial moments!!!! (FAIL!!) With this feature in the Game mode setting, the contextual menu and window keys are disabled!! AMAZING!! One more thing that must be pointed out is the G-Keys...these are 18 programmable keys. This might be a little much for the beginner but if you are experienced with macro's and LUA scripts these are going to be your bread and butter. Overall this keyboard is amazing!! The customization is endless and the user friendliness is always welcomed. Logitech sells this epic piece of equipment for $119.99 and you can view all its features here.

Antec Nine Hundred Two Gaming Case

The foundation that holds all our Gaming rigs together...DUCK TAPE...i mean the CASE!! The Antec Nine Hundred is the best case I've ever used and have built many rigs for my friends with this case with absolutely no problems!! This case has it all. In my personal experience i hate liquid cooling...i just don't trust it. This fan keeps my rig cooler than my friends liquid cooling rig. The fans are placed so perfect for maximum air flow. This beast comes with 4 high quality fans. Two in the front that pull air in right in front of the Hard Drive Bays. One one the back pulling air out!! And a fan that reminds me of the Bubble Room in Williy Wonka's Chocolate Factory at the Very Top....its massive!! The thing that attracts me most to this case when i first bought it was the placement of the power supply. Its at the bottom which i am a fan of!! Gives you more room for beefier video cards and more room for big CPU FANS!! The front panel includes 2x Hi speed usb ports (Type A), an eSata port (7 pin) for external sata storage, and of course your standard Headphone/Mic ports on the front. The case is also rigged for expansion slots. 8 total, 3 slots for your optical drives, and up to 5 hard drives internally! I have used the first generation of this case for years and recently picked up this updated version (only difference was the eSata port and the Fan on top) and has been just as smooth sailing. This case is not a purchase its a great investment for the hard core gamers rig. This case will outlast your components!! Its costs $140.45 on Amazon.com. Here is a direct link to the Antec Nine Hundred Two Ultimate Gaming Case on amazon! Trust me its worth it!!

So there u have it...3 ways to spend your fat refund check...i highly recommend these upgrades. These upgrades will definitely improve you WoW experience. Check em out and let me know if you guys agree or disagree!