Top WOW Leveling Guides

It is official that World of Warcraft is available to the Latin America area as part of the expansion to other countries. The Latin American version will be based on the European Spanish version but there will be feature of entirely re-recorded in-game speech.

It is expected to be out in the first half of 2008 and to those Spanish speaking players in US and Canada.

A dedicated Spanish-speaking team is being assembled at the Blizzard Entertainment offices in Irvine, California and Austin, Texas to ensure that Spanish-speaking World of Warcraft players based in North and South America will receive high-quality 24/7 support in Spanish.

Positions are currently open on the company’s customer service, quality assurance, community relations, and web teams, and a new official website for the game’s North and South America-based Spanish-speaking players is in development.

There is much to be anticipated from World of Warcraft.

Tags: console game, dereks gold mastery guide, gaming, online game, world of warcraft, WoW

Check out the latest Wrath of The Lich King official cinematic trailer. The Wrath of the Lich King is slated for a November release.

Tags: console game, gaming, online game, world of warcraft, WoW, wrath of the lich king

A research by the University of Manchester in England has shown that about 500,000 people in developing countries are earning their living by making virtual goods in online games to sell to other players. AN average of 80% of the industry is in China. They can earn about $142 per month.

In many massively multiplayer online games like , players often go to suppliers to get money to outfit their character with better weapons, armor, and other gear. Compared to the time required to actually earn that money, going through gold farmers is often a good deal.

While he estimates that the global market in gold farming could be worth about $500 million, he also says this number is inexact — thanks to the pseudo-legality of the practice — and that it could easily be twice as big. Already, he said, gold farming was comparable in size to India’s entire outsourcing industry.

"It is also a glimpse into the digital underworld," Heeks said. "Or at least the edges of a digital underworld populated by scammers and hackers and pornographers and which has spread to the ‘Third World’ far more than we typically realize."

Tags: console game, dereks gold mastery guide, gaming, online game, world of warcraft, WoW

According to the Blizzard website, players can recruit-a-friend and get the exclusive Zhevra Mount, get faster leveling and even summon your friend.

However, make sure that the friend you recruit purchase the game and two months of playing time to qualify.

Seems to be enticing right? Read the FAQ below to know more about it. 

What is "Recruit-A-Friend"?

Our new friend referral system allows you to recruit some of your friends to join you in World of Warcraft by sending them an invitation email containing a trial activation key. With this key, your friends will be able to set up their own trial accounts.

To start this process log on to the Account Management section and click the Recruit-A-Friend button. This will take you to the actual friend referral page, where you can enter a friend’s email address and name one at a time. If you want, you can also enter a message that will be included in the invitation email.

How can I earn the exclusive in-game mount?

For each person you refer who upgrades to a retail version of World of Warcraft and purchases two months of game time, you will be able to give a character on the account you sent the invitation from an exclusive in-game zhevra mount. This unique mount can be claimed through the website, is only available to Recruit-A-Friend participants, and can only be applied to a single character.

What in-game benefits do we get while the accounts we play are linked?

1. Characters on both accounts can summon each other once per hour.
2. While adventuring with your linked friend/family member, you will each gain triple experience.
3. For every two levels the new player earns, the new player can grant one free level-up to a lower-level character played by the veteran player.

How long will I be linked to my recruit?

The link between the accounts will last for 90 days from the date that your recruit creates an account.  Remember that for the link to work properly, your recruit must create a new World of Warcraft account using the 10-day trial key in your invitation email.

When my friend/family member upgrades from a trial account to a full version of the game, will that break the link between the accounts?

Nope! Your friend/family member will have to upgrade to continue playing past the 10-day trial, and the accounts you play will stay linked until the full 90 days have passed.

If my friend/family member recruits another friend/family member, am I linked to that person too?

No, these benefits only apply to the person that you referred directly.

Are there any limits on when and where I can summon my friend?

The summoning is able regardless of level difference. And level 60 or above characters can summon their friends as long as the summoning target is 59 or lower level.

Do I always gain triple experience while I am linked to my recruit?

No, only when you are partied with a character on the linked account and both players are present when slaying the monster or completing the quest. Also, if the two characters are not the same level (4 or more levels difference), only the lower-level character is given the experience boost.

Is quest experience tripled too?

Yes, but only if the quest or monster was not trivial (gray difficulty) for either character.

Do normal experience rules apply? How does this affect Rest State experience?

Yes, if a monster or quest is trivial to either player, no experience boost is given. If the quest or monster is trivial to either player then normal experience rules apply, including the use of Rest State experience.

What if I’m partied with multiple recruits who I’m "linked" to? Do I get quadruple, sextuple experience?

No, you can only ever gain a maximum of triple experience regardless of how many linked recruits you are partied with.

Are there any limitations to granting levels to characters played by the veteran player?

Yes. The recruit may not grant a level to a character that is equal to or higher than the current level of the character he or she is playing.
Additionally, the recruit may not grant a level to a character that is level 60 or higher.

How can I earn the free 30-day credit?

For each person you refer who upgrades to a retail version of World of Warcraft and purchases his or her first month of game time, the account you sent the invitation from will receive a free credit of 30 days of play time.

Can I use the free 30-day credit on a different account or at a different time?

No, the 30 days of play time are immediately applied to the account you sent the invitation from once your recruit pays for his or her first month.

Can I earn multiple 30-day credits and mounts with Recruit-A-Friend?

Yes! These rewards will be given to you for each account you refer that meets the criteria listed above.

If my recruit cancels the account before purchasing subscription time, can I still earn the 30-day credit or the in-game mount?

If the recruit later comes back, reactivates the account, and purchases subscription time, you will still be eligible for the rewards. Additionally, you can always invite more friends/family members to try World of Warcraft through the Recruit-A-Friend system.

At what point does the triple experience end?

It ends the moment that your accounts are unlinked, or when the new player hits level 60.

Will death knights be able to take advantage of the bonus levels?

Yes, death knights will be able to receive bonus levels, too. But keep in mind that death knights start at level 55 and players stop receiving bonus experience at level 60.

When do players receive the zhevra mount — after two months or as soon as the recruit has paid for two months?

Players will receive the zhevra mount once the recruit has paid for two months of subscription time.

How long will Recruit-A-Friend last?

We have not yet determined how long this promotion will last.

Can I save the "level-ups" I’m granted and use them at higher levels?

Yes. You can gift them to a character on the veteran account as you earn them or in one lump sum. However, you will need to claim all levels before the 90 day link period is up or before you hit level 60. Once that time expires or you hit level 60, the "level-ups" you had saved will disappear.

If I transfer a character with unused level-ups to another realm, will that character get to keep the level-ups?

No. Unclaimed levels are not moved during a character copy or transfer. Be sure to use them before you transfer.

Does this promotion only apply to new subscribers? Can I recruit someone using a Scroll of Resurrection?

This promotion is valid only for new accounts created using an Authentication Key from an email invitation sent from the Recruit-A-Friend webpage. Therefore, you cannot recruit someone who is also participating in the Scroll of Resurrection promotion.

How does summoning the other player work?

Simply right-click your target’s portrait to initiate the summon. You can summon from your party or your friends list.

If a player already subscribes to an account (under his or her name) but wants to start a new one (also under his or her name) through the Recruit-A-Friend program, will that second, new account receive these benefits?

If the new account was created using an Authentication Key from an email invitation sent from the Recruit-A-Friend webpage, then yes, it will receive the benefits.

Will the experience bonus apply only to the recruit’s first character? Or are all characters linked to the account eligible to receive it?

All characters on the recruit’s account are eligible to receive the experience bonus, the ability to grant levels, and the ability to summon.

Is my recruit or recruiter automatically added to my friends list?

No. You will need to manually add the character’s name to your friends list.

Learn more about the Zhevra.

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Wired: Alt Text: ‘World of Warcraft‘ Masters In-Game Bribery

A zhevra is a zebra with a horn. Like a unicorn, but a zebra. That’s kind of a theme with Warcraft: Take a normal animal, paste on an extra body part or two, and give it a fan…   Read more…

Loyal World of Warcraft Gamers Rewarded for Spreading the Word

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Tags: blizzard, console game, gaming, online game, world of warcraft, WoW, Zhevra Mount

There has been a research whether playing World of Warcraft will make us smarter. Apparently the game has shown signs that improve the scientific thinking among the players. Researchers in University of Wisconsin have observed about 2000 chat room posts to understand more about the players’ discussions. 

Parents, you can stop worrying about your kids spending too much time playing World of Warcraft. It is proven that playing that game can actually improve your kids scientific thinking. In another word, it means that the game helps your kids to think using the brain. There will be more creative ideas thinking thus helps to improve the IQ of your kids. 

Online games have become a powerful learning tool for kids. The games are no longer considered as destroying as there are positive signs from the players. There are both good and bad sides of online games but one cannot put the blame on online games should there be any teenagers who are behaving badly as online games can help to trigger creative thinking and develop learning skills.

Before you ban your kids from playing online games, be sure to check whether the games truly affects the academic of your kids. Otherwise, you can rest assured that playing online games will not make your kids bad but it might be the other way round.

Tags: console game, gaming, online game, world of warcraft, WoW

To set up a public server is not an easy job and if you are not familiar with it, don’t do it. Below are the details of the instructions so make sure you do every one of it or else, it won’t work.

What You Need :

1. You must know how to set up port forwarding (very important if you’re behind router or no one will be able to access your wow server no matter what you do). However, every router has their own configuration page so I would suggest you to read your router manual on how to configure it.

You can try Linksys AG241V2 and Aztech DSL600EU.

2. You must also know how to configure firewall to allow connection on specific port, as a note Windows XP built-in Firewall is enabled by default (Windows Firewall).

3. DNS Name for your WoW server to make things easier and you can get it for free from Dyndns.com, no-ip.com, etc

4. Your need to have friends so they can test it for you.

Getting started :

1. Find your public IP Address

First you’ll need check your IP address by going into whatismyip.com to get your public ip address.

2. Get a DNS Name

Now you’ll need to pay a visit to various dynamic dns service to get your free name and this is an example of what I am going to call the wow server, mycoolwowserver.com

3. Using Reaper Mangos to configure realmd

For the third steps you just need to run the reaper-x-mangos inside the reaper-eazy-mangos directory and choose option 5 like below for an example

Now you can just simply ignore the message that is basically saying that you need to write your LAN IP Address (well … creating public server is against mangos terms of use) … and write your wowserver dns name that you get from Dynamic DNS Service (in this example i’m using mycoolwowserver.com which is a fake name of course) and followed by writing your desired Realm Name

Now we’re done with the Mangos part but don’t start mangosd.exe and realmd.exe process yet, because we need to configure your router first

4. Find your LAN IP Address and your Router IP Address

Now for this step, you’ll need to find what is your router ip address and your LAN IP Address that is connected to your router, this can be done by :

1. Double clicking on your active connection status on Windows System Tray (the area near clock) or
2. from Control Panel » Network Connection » and double clicking on your Ethernet Card listed there or
3. Browse to any website and lookup your active connection status by typing netstat -n via the command prompt and look at the local address followed by typing netstat -rn

See example image below :

Now based from the above image, you can get your router ip address and your lan ip address that is connected to your router. And in this case the router ip address is 192.168.1.1 while the ethernet ip address is 192.168.1.2

PART 5. Set up Port Forwarding

5. After getting your router ip address now we need to open it’s configuration page by simply typing 192.168.1.1 at your address bar of your internet browser

Note: Screenshot were taken from my Linksys AG241V2 router (click the image to see full size)

The default port used by Realmd is 3724 while the default port for World is 8085, now … since we have that information … we can set up port forwarding by writing that value into your router configuration page at port forwarding section … and we’re done configuring our router … but wait …

Since every router have their own configuration page, i’d suggest you to look at your router manual on how to set up port forwarding on your router or you can also visit portforward.com if you need help on setting up port forwarding

6. Configuring Windows Firewall

Although i’m not using Windows Firewall as stated before at the requirements section, i’ve decided to write a guide on how to configure your windows firewall to allow connection to your computer for your World of Warcraft server purpose … because … most people seems to not have installed 3rd party firewall and i’m thinking probably they still use Windows Firewall … but let’s get back to the topic shall we ?

Note: This is based from Windows XP SP2, and i can’t remember if there’s configuration like below on Windows XP SP1 or below because of the same reason i stated before

Now you need to go into Control Panel » Windows Firewall and make sure that Don’t allow exceptions is unchecked

Then you’ll need to open the Exceptions tab, and then click on Add Port and add value as shown below and click OK

and then click on Add Port again and this time write below value

And then Click OK and then Click OK again to leave the Windows Firewall Configuration Window, and we’re done configuring Windows Firewall

If you’re using other Firewall, then you’ll need to configure it as shown above

7. Port Scanning

Now we need to use online port scanner to test whether the port is accessible from the internet or not, and we can do this by using uTorrent Port Scanner (simple but useful) and the steps to do these are :

1. Start Realmd.exe and Mangosd.exe process (do not run WoW.exe yet, or in other words don’t run world of warcraft yet)

2. Go to below url to scan your pc :

http://www.utorrent.com/testport.php?port=3724

http://www.utorrent.com/testport.php?port=8085

3. See if you get message that is saying your port is open or not (you’ll get two results)

4. If you get the above message that means you’ve finished creating your own wow server to be accessible from the internet … Congrats! … but wait there’s still one more step for you to do

8. Editing Windows HOSTS File

Now you need to edit your Windows HOSTS file located at C:&#92Windows&#92system32&#92drivers&#92etc&#92hosts and add below line after everything else (do not replace any value there)

192.168.1.2 mycoolwowserver.com

or in this format :

lanipaddress dnsname

Now, everything is done and hopefully it will be up and running successfully.

Tags: console game, gaming, online game, private server, public server, world of warcraft, WoW

The official announcement of Blizzcon tickets sold out:

"Tickets to BlizzCon 2008 are now sold out. We’d like to thank everyone once again for their overwhelming interest in this year’s show. If you were unable to secure tickets, please keep in mind that DIRECTV will be broadcasting BlizzCon live from the Anaheim Convention Center on October 10 and 11. "

It is a sad news for those who visited the Blizzcon site to purchase the tickets but cheer up as Blizzard announced that they are selling another 3000 Blizzcon tickets for the fans.

The only problem is the tickets will be sold off via lottery. That means you have to have an active Blizzcon account as of on August 12 or else you don’t stand a chance which seems cruel but it is better than no chance at all. 

Blizzcon is the biggest event for World of Warcraft fans and nothing else beat the importance of attending the 2-day event. 

I do hope that those who wish to get the tickets will get the tickets. Let us cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Tags: blizzard, blizzcon, console game, gaming, online game, world of warcraft, WoW

It is not surprising that there will be problems when a cable company block certain applications just like how ComCast block BitTorrent.

However, recently there has been some problems for World of Warcraft players to play the game due to lag and latency issues.

To add salt to injury, both TWC and Blizzard have been blaming each other. Time Warner said they never do anything to block any packets or traffic related to World of Warcraft  but Blizzard said that all of the players on the east coast with these problems are Time Warner/Roadrunner cable customers.

It is rather difficult to believe Time Warner as ISPs are known to lie for such similar issues before I can never point finger to anyone as there is no proof whatsoever regarding this issue yet so hopefully Time Warner can do something to solve the problems. 

Tags: blizzard, console game, gaming, online game, world of warcraft, WoW

First of all, I must warn those who want to create a private server. While I may have the steps to do it, I must remind you that this is against Blizzard’s Terms of Services. It is illegal to do it but if you think you can do it and escape without getting caught, then only you can proceed.

Or else, you will have to face the legal issues which of course the verdict is definitely not on your side.

So, here it goes, the instructions to create your own server.

First of all, get what you need. These are the files to create the server. So, you must get all of them.

What you will need:

1. sqlyog - to manage your mysql.  sqlyog
2. the wow client - self explanatory.  client
3. ad.exe - used to extract maps.  ad.rar
4. dbc extractor - extracts dbc files from client.  dbc_extract
5. mangos core - obviously the main component. Filebeam
6. udb - the database.  udb database
7. mysql - needed for db mysql
8. vmap extract - extracts vmaps from client. vmap_extract

Instructions:

1. First step is to extract the Mangos core just so we can put stuff in it as we go.

2. Then you will have to extract the dbc files by copying the dbc extractor files into C:&#92Program Files&#92World of Warcraft&#92data&#92enUS
(you can get more help by reading the readme in the dbc extractor folder).

When you have done it you should see a dbc folder and copy it into your Mangos core folder.

3. Now you will need to create a folder with the name Maps as this is the simplest name I can think of to name a folder that Maps will go into. Now place ad.exe into the root of the WoW folder then run it to extract the Maps into the new folder (Maps). Next copy the Maps folder into your Mangos directory.

4. So, now you have the dbc files and the Maps, what we need now is to get our MySQL up and running, please install MySQL at this point, any settings will pretty much work just please remember your password if you do set one as I know I have a hard time keeping up with the barrage of passwords my mind is flooded with.

5. Install the SQLyog and you would need to first complete some details as it is the first run, it is okay, you will be fine. When it asks for a few things this is what you will type in. If it asks for the MySQL address type in localhost or 127.0.0.1 (it is the same) and where it says “User” you type in what you stated when you installed MySQL, and the same goes for the “Password”.

6. Now you have to load the information into the MySQL databases. Right click on NAME@localhost and create a new database and name it “realmd” then go to restore from sql dump and open realmd.sqland that will populate the tables within the newly created database. Create a new database this time the same way but name it mangos and restore it from the database found in your udb
files. Also you will need to do the same for the characters.sql found in your mangos folder and name it “characters”.

Now open up Mangos.conf and make it looks like what is below.

# Data directory setting. # Important: DataDir needs to be quoted, as it is a string which may # contain space characters. DataDir = ""

Keep reading throughout Mangos.conf and make it like this

LoginDatabaseInfo     = "127.0.0.1;3306;"your mysql name";"your mysql pass";realmd" WorldDatabaseInfo     = "127.0.0.1;3306;"your mysql name";"your mysql pass";mangos" CharacterDatabaseInfo = "127.0.0.1;3306;"your mysql name";"your mysql pass";characters"

Once you are done with this file, open up realmd.conf and you only need to find one line in this conf file.

LoginDatabaseInfo = "127.0.0.1;3306;mangos;mangos;realmd"

Let the above reflect what you normally write in the other files as previously stated, it all should reflect your database settings.

Now, you have done everything you need to run the server. Let’s get it online and running. Good luck!

Tags: console game, gaming, online game, private server, world of warcraft, WoW

Dereks Gold Mastery Guide is guide on how to earn gold from Derek Beachler. It has all the latest tips and tricks for you to learn and earn as much Gold with little time. Be assured that the guide is only a guidance for World of Warcraft players especially newbies to gain exposure of the ways to gain Gold.

There is a total of 110 pages in the book. You will find that there are step-by-step instructions and strategies on how to make Gold effectively. Generally, it is a very easy to understand guide book and Derek himself has made sure that only high quality tips and tricks are included. There is no way he is going to risk failing his fellow players when it comes to making Gold.

Gold is the most important currency in the World of Warcraft. Without Gold, you hardly able to reach higher levels. Of course there are different ways to make Gold at different levels for different races. You will find everything you need to know in Derek Gold Mastery Guide. It is not about gaining one or two grams of Gold at a time but up to 40 or 50 grams.

I am sure that being a die hard World of Warcraft player, you must have spent a lot of time searching the internet for every little tips and tricks to help you gain Gold. However, it is totally exhausting and time wasting as while you search for the tips, it is better to use the time to play World of Warcraft and gain more Gold. Besides, the tips and tricks found on the internet may not be as reliable as Dereks Gold Mastery Guide. Some of the tips are known to have caused accounts termination due to violation of the Blizzard’s Term of Service.

Dereks Gold Mastery Guide is available in the market at $47. By investing $47, you can get all the tips and tricks you can use for your whole life without having to spend more money on other guides. This is a bargain for all World of Warcraft players. It is just a small price to pay to gain big Gold in World of Warcraft the legal way.

For more information visit The Gold Mastery Guide site.

Tags: console game, dereks gold mastery guide, gaming, online game, world of warcraft, WoW