Month: April 2010

What is best in life? Gear, plain and simple. As part of the upcoming stat-system revamp, we plan to introduce a new tool that will let World of Warcraft players know exactly where they stand in comparison to other players: the Equipment Potency EquivalencE Number.

With this new system, you’ll no longer have to wonder about your perceived or actual worth as a player. Your Equipment Potency EquivalencE Number, automatically derived from the quality of the gear you currently possess, will be placed on your character sheet and in the Armory, and also displayed over your character’s head in-game as an easy-to-read bar-like object that steadily grows as you acquire loot. Thanks to this new system, no one will be able to ignore the fruits of your long, hard journey toward gear perfection.

How Your Number Is Determined
Here's how it will work: With every new piece of gear you obtain, your number will grow; if you attain a high enough number, you'll graduate to the next tier (more on that below) and gain access to exclusive rewards. If you’re looking to boost your number even more, activities such as earning raid and Arena achievements or realm-first titles will help you get it up, and you'll also begin receiving in-game mail with exciting offers for additional ways to enhance it.

Player Potency Tiers
To complement this system, we plan to use an updated version of the phasing technology introduced in Wrath of the Lich King to automatically place players in segregated tiers based on their number. Each tier will comprise all players within a certain number range, and players will only be able to group with, talk to, or see other players in the same tier as themselves. To ensure players with a smaller number will not be shafted by this new system, we plan to introduce a wide variety of new solo content for less well-equipped players.

Rewards
Those with sufficiently large numbers can earn in-game rewards such as a permanent bonus to "need" rolls, the ability to cut to the front of the queue in the Dungeon Finder, a larger ignore list, a much shorter dungeon deserter debuff, or — if your number is exceedingly impressive — a new non-combat pet, Binky the Mechano-Rooster.

As your number grows, the game world will tailor itself to you in other subtle ways: as the pool of players you interact with becomes more and more exclusive, you’ll no longer need to stand still in prominent locations quite so often to allow others to inspect your gear; you’ll have fewer time-wasting calendar invitations to sift through; and your friends list will become increasingly more manageable, reducing needless scrolling time. Any negative repercussions of these changes will be offset by the satisfaction you’ll receive knowing your equipment is significantly more impressive than average.

Battle.net Neural Interface
Battle.net Neural Interface for use with your World of Warcraft account or Battle.net account. This product comes with an exclusive in-game pet.

Experience World of Warcraft from a whole new perspective with the revolutionary Battle.net Neural Interface! Harnessing the power of the human mind, the Battle.net Neural Interface is a revolutionary new method to access World of Warcraft.

The first time you use the Battle.net Neural Interface, it reads and adapts to your unique brainwave signature, forming a permanent and unbreakable bond, ensuring that all your senses are properly mapped to your character's view of the game world. Once this neural link is formed, do not attempt to remove the Battle.net Neural Interface for any reason. Blizzard Entertainment is not liable for any temporary or permanent loss of brain function as a result of improper use of the Battle.net Neural Interface.

• Play your World of Warcraft avatar with complete sensory input. Experience the sights, smells, and tastes of Azeroth as never before!
• Simple and easy to use – Press one button on the side of the Battle.net Neural Interface to generate permanent mental imprint. Setup of the Battle.net Neural Interface is simple and takes only a few hours.
• Mostly Unobstrusive – Take your Battle.net Neural Interface wherever you play World of Warcraft and have the satisfaction of knowing that you will only receive a few questioning glances.
• Tough and durable – Lasts for months, and replacement is theoretically possible.