CPU Intensive – Beta Client not optimized? Hey guys.   I run an Intel Xeon eight core machine, (2008 Mac Pro). I have 4 gigs of ram and a 512mb Graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT).   World of Warcraft is hardly a challenge for this machine. I can run 3 clients of Warcraft at the same time and barely break a sweat.   However in this new Beta Client, my normally silent machine seems to be running it’s fans very loudly, which seems impossible. Granted the game is more CPU intensive, but this is ridiculous.   Trust me. The machine’s a beast.   Anyone else experiencing this?

Breakfast Topic: Unexpected Changes in Patch 3.0.2   There’s a mailbox missing in Silvermoon! I know, I know. There are a lot of mailboxes in Silvermoon City, but I really liked this one near the bank in The Bazaar area. I must have missed this in the patch notes. And why would they get rid of it anyway? If anything, I think they should add more mailboxes to the old world cities. But I’m lazy. Running on mountless/travelformless alts is a chore. On a good note, I seemed to have totally missed that Marks of Honor were going to be on the Currency tab in the character screen instead of taking up precious bag space until i actually logged in yesterday. Yay more bag space! My favorite surprise in Echoes of Doom, however, was discovering that my Herbalist now has a new self-heal over time spell: Lifeblood. It’s instant cast and has a 3 minute cooldown.

Around Azeroth: Goodbye to you   I’ll let Fendrieon of Thunderhorn do the talking on his picture. “Just a parting shot taken on the last day of 2.4.3, including 3 things never to be seen again: Naxx 40, Amani Warbear, and a warrior with ONLY one weapon.” I’m sure Matthew Rossi says amen to the latter. Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? We’d love to see it on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing  with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next! Remember to include your player name, server and/or guild if you want it mentioned. We strongly prefer full screen shots without the UI showing — use alt-Z to remove it. Please, no more battleground scoreboards.  

New item tabs for Ammo/Shards   I’ve got an idea. How about working it into inscription? “50% Chance on shot to consume no ammunition.” That would be a welcome addition. The problem with that is it’d probably be a major glyph, and it’d also naturally be “required” since ammo is such a stringent problem for the class. I don’t see Glyphs becoming as semi-permanent as, say, talents, and consequently having a glyph that works as a “fix” for a basic class problem isn’t really productive, nor interesting. The whole idea with Inscription is further customization, beyond what talents are even capable of doing; it provides the player with interesting choices. Making a glyph that “solves” the ammo issue isn’t an interesting choice, it’s a requirement and every single Hunter would

Alliance To Northrend & Problem   For Alliance to get to Northrend you need to go to Stormwind, look on your map, see the new harbor area and go to it. I believe it is to the north.   Once to the new harbor area and as you enter into it, go to the right-most dock and to the end of it to board the ship to Northrend.   There is a bug. There is no ramp or platform. So, the best way I have found is to get down onto the lower pillar to the left. From there you can jump onto the boat when it comes.   If you do not get it right, and it takes a little practice, you will have to swim back to land, which is a distance, and start over, and by then the ship will be gone.   Getting off the ship is fine once in Northrend.  

 Tuesday Morning Post: The BlizzCon cometh Yeah, believe it or don’t, BlizzCon time is nearly upon us. This coming Friday and Saturday, we’ll be on the floor of BlizzCon itself, up close and personal with everyone and everything from the new non-computer WoW games to the cast of The Guild. I myself will be leaving on a jet plane early Thursday morning so I have plenty of time to get my ticket and hang out with some of you at the Lost Bar that night. While we wait for BlizzCon , there’s still plenty more news to report on Wrath of the Lich King and the World of Warcraft in general, and considering that WoW’s down for maintenance from 5 AM to 11 AM PDT today, you’ll have time to read it, right? You can start browsing using the links at right, or check out our roundup of the biggest and most interesting news from the past few days