Now that we've gotten our daily dose of caffeine (and valium), we realized that all we've been reporting since World of Warcraft's patch 2.0.1 came out was the bad news - bugs are supposed to be expected in a major update like this, and it wouldn't be fair if we turned off your gaming appetite for being consistent doomsayers.

So, to make up for our mean streak, we're letting you know of a happy little discussion taking place over at WoWinsider.

David Nelson just wrote up a blog, and it'll be covering one of the bits of good news that he realized that came out of patch 2.0.1, which is the revised quest log. David recounts that he often faced the problem of having a jammed quest log, and how this new patch gave the log a new 25-quest capacity, easing up management grips we're sure a lot of you guys ran into as you progressed.

The follow-up replies to his post also mention surprising good news on the LFG function - we say surprising because of the bad rap it picked up before. And outside the game, it looks like even Blizzard's trying to make up for some boo-boos contoured during the patch upload. C'mon guys, smile! You don't wanna end up looking like your orc...do you?

For those who aren't in the know, World of Warcraft's "Before the Storm" patch - Patch 2.0.1 for the number geeks out there - has made it debut *wild cheers*.

But before you guys head out and see what sort of fun Blizzard's planned out for this latest update, we're reminding you to tread lightly for the moment, as the guys over at WoW Insider have been noticing some post-patch bugs while playing through, and were kind enough to mention at their blog:

• The first major issue you'll notice here is that your previous addons won't work in this patch - as previously reported.
• This one's for druids: Remember all those patch notes that the devs were talking about for your guys? It turns out that only two of them - Omen of Clarity and Swiftmend - were implemented. What's more, the devs say the notes were wrong.
• Regarding the new LFG function: There's a couple of bugs in this otherwise handy update; Higher-lvl guys seem to have probs looking for lower-lvl dudes for parties or raids.
• Rogues: The stealth animations were speeded up, which unfortunately makes your movement look like the "doing the pee pee dance." Good thing nobody can see you...
• Thrown items now lose durability when used.
• Due to the new updates, we recommend staying away from the battleground servers. Everybody's there to try out the new stuff, so they're likely to screw up. Enter at your own risk.

Those are some of the more noticeable problems being encountered right now. Expect more news to start streaming in on patch fixes and issues as Before the Storm goes through its paces.

With the Burning Crusade's release inching closer and closer, I think a lot of WoW users would agree with me when I say that much prepping still needs to be done. I mean, yeah some of you might say that you already know everything there is to know about the expansion, but do you really?

We've given you loads of screens, updates on the BC's FAQ, and even a video of the arena PvP, but there are still a lot of questions left unanswered regarding the expansion. An example of this is about the dungeons that will be readily available just in time for Burning Crusade's release. So just to update you guys, we wanna share with you this info we stumbled upon while hounding the net.

Now we know we're sourcing a blog and it could easily be wrong, but we took the time to check out the WoW forums too just to be sure. However, we're not claiming that this is the absolute list, so allow us to wave the disclaimer flag here. And like I said, this is just to update you guys, especially those who are still befuddled about the matter. And with that, we bring you the list of...

Confirmed Dungeons ready for release:

• Hellfire Citadel
• Coilfang Reservoir
• Auchindoun
• Gruul's Lair
• The Caverns of Time in Tanaris
• Karazhan in Deadwind Pass
• Tempest Keep
• Vashj's Lair
• Serpentshrine Cavern
• Hyjal Past
  

Make sure you check back with us though, 'cuz we will be keeping you posted for any developments.

The sky is always dark before a storm. The winds send an eerie, chilly feeling that make everyone run to their homes and hide. On the other hand, World of Warcraft patch, Before the Storm, is doing quite the exact opposite. Players visit and revisit the game's official forums and all other related forums across the net just to know the latest.

The last thing we heard about the patch isn't too encouraging though. Accordingly, the new patch will render all past Addons useless. But before you Trolls and Druids fret your hearts out, listen to this first: Blizzard Entertainment just unveiled another feature included in the patch that is sure to leave you grinning wide and big again. So, are you ready? Here goes: No more dishonorable kills!

Yep, they've decided to give fans what they've wanting for some time now. Dishonorable kills or DHKs always hold back players whenever they do raids because of fear of penalty that will instantly be subtracted from their current honor and rank. So guys, whenever you visit an enemy town or village, go kill them all you want! We command you to kill all NPCs, civilians, children, women...

Err, sorry. We got carried away. But honestly, the removal of DHKs will certainly initiate big time world PvP. Blizzard's Crossroads has this reminder though: "Some NPC levels have been raised, and some have been lowered, so there may be other incentive in game to keep people from mauling."

Well, it's up to you if you'll heed that last advice. But as far as we're concerned, we've been held back for so long already. It's kill, kill time, baby!

Before the Storm for the World of Warcraft's coming up with this December 5, but before you download the 2.0.1 patch that's coming out that day, take heed: This new patch will render all your past Addons useless.

And while this seems normal with every patch that's been launched, the 2.0.1 patch that's coming out will be an exceptional handful, as Blizzard states:

WoW 2.0 represents a major change in the UI code, and as such ALL AddOns will need to be updated before they will work, if for no other reason than the Lua 5.0 to Lua 5.1 changes. Some AddOns will be more seriously affected, and a few will have to be redesigned.

What this means is that patch 2.0.1 will change the LUA code that all current addons run on. The bad news is that some of the game's mod dudes will probably abandon their current addons, as writing a new code will be too time-consuming.

Now, for those who don't have an idea of what to do, Lady Harper suggests one of the following:

1. Give up using addons altogether, play "naked" (Not like that, you hideous trolls!)
2. Take a sabbatical from the game, maybe a week, to cool down.
3. Check your current list of addons, and see if they already have a patch 2.0 version available. The CurseGaming and  WoWInterface sites should have info on these compatible addons.

We all love Role-players. Whether they be the next in-game demi-god, the next black sheep of the gaming community, or the 3000-year-old leprechaun that's seen it all (and speaks in a convincing Irish accent), role-players add much-needed flavor to any MMORPG. Any good role-player will tell you of the sleepless nights spent lovingly writing their character profile, interweaving it into the game's story canon without suffering from the dreaded "Mary Sue" complex. It's a process sometimes as painful as birthing a child, but it's worth it.

At least, that's the ideal. Them demented dudes over at somethingawful.com have just set their sights on everybody's favorite MMORPG of the moment - World of Warcraft - and its flagRSP mod. The said mod allows guys over at the RP servers to post their character profile, permitting the community to interact with them accordingly. The problems is, as we looked over these profiles they've picked up, we couldn't help but wonder: Why, God, why?

(Dis)Courtesy of somethingawful, we present you with some of the more eyebrow-raising profiles spotted over at WoW. The less...appetizing...images can be spotted over at their main site, but here's a sample of what to expect.

Everybody's out to be famous, and from publicity events, photo opportunities, Jackass stunts to airplane hijackings, that instinctive itch for attention just has to be scratched. For the WoW dudes who just don't have the time to pull off anything as time-consuming making a WoW music video, we've got something that could get your character in print - preferably not on a wanted poster.

The WoW main site's announced a screenshot contest for the WoW trading card game, and winners will be eligible to have their screenshot posted on a future card for the said game. Mechanics are as follows:

1. The contest begins November 27, 2006 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, and ends on December 24, 2006 at 11:59 p.m.
2. You must be of legal age (13) to enter the contest.
3. Access the submission form enclosed at the source link. In the event you can't submit your application electronically, Submit a hard copy of your screenshot along with a copy of your name, age, and residence to the address: World of Warcraft TCG Screenshot Competition, c/o Blizzard Entertainment, P.O. Box 18979,Irvine, CA 92623

As for prices:

• One Grand Prize winner gets their screenshot used as a basis for a later WoW Trading Card game card, and will receive an Onyxia raid deck, a starter set and 10 booster packs.
• Five 1st place winners get an Onyxia raid deck, a starter set and 10 booster packs.
• Ten 2nd place winners get a a starter deck and 5 booster packs.

Judging will take place on December 18, 2006, and winners will be emailed within 14 days after the judging. Instructions for claiming prizes will be provided for in the notification. For the full details on this event, we suggest you visit the source link. Good luck.

A couple of days after we came to know of the online romance that ended happily ever after, life partners Rhovan and Delora are still in our heads. Good for them, they might be playing World of Warcraft in bed, in the kitchen or wherever they wish. However we can't help but wonder how the two managed before they got married. Maybe an SMS message saying:

"I'll be on Runetotem. I'll see you when you get there."
"Okay. I love you... Oh wait! I forgot to pay for character transfer..."

At any rate, it might have caused some problems one way or another. Then the idea of sharding comes to mind, which leaves WoW scattered across multiple servers. It has been argued before that this actually is a sign of financial constraint and poor game architectural design. On top of that, many are complaining that the current set-up hinders socialization.

Blizzard Entertainment recently patched the European servers that make them incompatible with the U.S. servers. A small, persistent voice inside suddenly gets bigger and wants to explode: "What ever happened to MASSIVELY in MMORPG?!" Don't look at us because we don't know either.

Actually, there have been several proposals across the WoW community to solve the impending problem. Free transfers, for one, will make a lot people happy. But at the same time, that risks in-game economies, game queues and Blizzard needing more time to maintain and keep servers. There was a suggestion even to create a super server, much like a super continent, where in everybody can see everybody. We hate to burst your bubble, but that last one definitely sounds Utopian at this point in time.

We guess we'll just have to wait for the day when all will be well once more in Azeroth. Who knows, The Burning Crusade could be the answer to all of these. Anyway, we guess we'll just go back to Second Life for now and create millions there.

For the guys who'd really, really like to get their hands on a WoW BC Beta key without the messy complications of stuffing a Blizzard dev into their car, driving to the local high-rise, and dangling the said dev by their toes over the roof edge until they gave one (You didn't hear that from us), we've just picked up news on an event that could make this easier for you.

The IncGamers IRC network has just announced that starting November 27, Monday, until Saturday, Dec. 2, they're going to be giving out free BC Beta key accounts to every 18 minutes at their IRC chatroom, and the winners will be chosen randomly via raffle event. To join the event, take note of the following steps, as stated over at the source link.

Now, for those who might miss out on this event, there's gonna be another in-game event that will be taking place on December 3, Sunday and December 4, Monday.

The events will organized within the IRC channel, and will give you guys a chance to win a further 100 more BC Beta Keys. Details will be coming out soon. For now, we recommend you read the source link.

You guys have read about the couple who met through WoW and eventually got married, right? Well now, we have yet another tearjerking WoW story that'll give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside. (Awww....)

Over at the WoW forums, a user by the name of Awemane posted an inspiring story about how his unique condition has prevented him from playing video games. Here's what Awemane had to say:

I...am 32 years old and suffer from "Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type II" (Illlness that resembles "Muscular Dystrophy " and is progressive in nature) and am on a respirator. In the past I could play almost any video game with no problem and was actually quite good at it... However, in time my illness progressed and I began to lose motor control of my arms as my muscles became weaker and weaker and my body slowly started to deform itself.

Needless to say, Awemane started having problems just gripping the controller, working the buttons and joystick, which led him to avoid console games altogether. Now, you guys might be thinking, "riiiight, and a keyboard is much easier to use?!" But see, Awemane plays WoW using just the mouse/track ball, which works much to his advantage as his hand is now severely deformed, and so is the rest of his body, forcing him to play using only one hand.

Awemane is in awe of how handicap-friendly Blizzard designed WoW, with customizable controls and a window mode which allows him to use an onscreen keyboard to type. For all this, Awemane says, "Blizzard... Thank you for making your game accessible to us disabled players! Please keep up the trend with all your future games." Awwww....now wasn't that touching? No "nerf this" or "overpowered that" comments, just plain gratitude and appreciation for what Blizzard is doing for their users.

Perhaps more dev companies should be looking into making their games more handicap friendly too. Even though handicapped players make up a very small percentage of gamers, they are still nonetheless consumers whose needs ought to be attended to. We applaud Blizzard as well for making one disabled person's life a lot better through WoW. It's stories like this that contradict all the bad rep that video games have been getting. How 'bout you, do YOU have a touching WoW story?