Sin

Collected Guild and/or Warcraft News.

Should any old guildies stop by, we have server transferred to Zul'jin, and our guild name is currentlyThud and Blunder. Samit is still Samit, Vykas is still Vykas, and Zee is now Zephanie, so if you get the urge to play, roll on Zul'jin and look us up!

Our new guild website is at http://thudandblunder.shivtr.com/

Hope to see you there!

Your cluncky control panel and limited feature set has made you unusable. Also, you're very pricy. 

The new guild site is located here. Please go there and register!

--Mgmt.  

PET BATTLE TOURNAMENT

We have a lot of stuff to talk about, so lets get right down to business!

First, our first annual pet battle tournament is about to begin. Registration for the event will take place from now until February 15th with the tournament to begin on Wednesday February 20th.

Remember:

• You may submit up to three teams, and you may not make changes to those teams after the tournament begins. Teams will be submitted privately to our judges, meaning you won’t know exactly what you’re up against until the battles start, and each player can choose from among his or her three teams for each battle.
• Rounds will be best two out of three.
• Battles happen twice a week for however long the tournament goes, so that we can accommodate everyone's schedule.
• Competitors will be in vent with our judges during their battles.  Players are encouraged to offer commentary, and anyone who wishes may join us in vent to keep up with the action.

Each competitor must submit a roster of teams to me either via PM on the forums or in-game mail sent to Vykas. These teams will be kept secret from other competitors and is necessary for matchmaking purposes only. This is to ensure fun and fair matches.

Also note that while you may submit up to three teams you do not have to submit 3 teams--only 1 team is necessary to compete.

PREPERATION FOR 5.2

As many of you are aware 5.2 is on it's way bringing with it a great deal of class design churn that is sure to make things interesting for a while--but more importantly, it also brings with it a new raid tier. And with a new raid tier comes the new raid tier signups! Yay!

 Currently we are expecting to keep our Tuesday and Thursday Raid nights. From 7pm to 10 pm server time. However, if anyone has any suggestions for new dates or times please let us know! We want to get as many people raiding as possible but you have to let us know. 

As with all new raid tiers current raiders also have an opprotunity to swap roles or toons if they so choose. It will be on them to begin the gearing process. We will expect each raider to have no less than a 490 item level (subject to change as more information becomes available) for the start of the 5.2 raids. 

The raid makeup will be:

• 2 Tanks  
• 3 Healers  
• 2 Melee 
• 3 Ranged

All raiders should be prepared to have a viable off-spec. Tanks and Healers should have a DPS spec while DPS Hybrids should be willing to have a Healing or Tanking off spec.

There is currently no set date for the start of 5.2 so there is no need to rush to any decissions. However, I would like everyone who is intersted in raiding to post on the forums here as well post what role and class they would like to play. 

RECAP

• Pet battles begin on February 20th
• Submit up to 3 teams to me via PM or In-Game mail by February 15th
• Get ready for 5.2
• Determine if you can raid on the days indicated or suggest alternatives
• Decide on what role or class you'd like to fill
• Talk about it here!

Howdy Sinners!

It’s time to announce our next two upcoming guild events, and we hope you’ll be as excited about them as we are. We’ve got some fun stuff coming up. Not only that, but there are prizes involved!

February: Pet Battle Round Robin Tournament

We wanted to give you some time to collect and level the perfect pets, so in early February we’ll start taking entries into our first ever pet battle round robin tournament. What you need to know:

• You may submit up to three teams, and you may not make changes to those teams after the tournament begins. Teams will be submitted privately to our judges, meaning you won’t know exactly what you’re up against until the battles start, and each player can choose from among his or her three teams for each battle.
• Rounds will be best two out of three.
• Battles happen twice a week for however long the tournament goes, so that we can accommodate everyone's schedule.
• Competitors will be in vent with our judges during their battles.  Players are encouraged to offer commentary, and anyone who wishes may join us in vent to keep up with the action.

The prize: the winner may choose any BoE item or cageable pet in the game that can be farmed solo, and either the officers will farm it for them or the guild bank will buy it, depending on circumstances.

March:  Transmog Fashion Show

This event will take place primarily on the forums via screen shots. We’ll also need to be able to verify each outfit either in-game or on the armory. What you need to know:

• We’ll have three judges: Vykas and myself (you may call us Michael Kors and Heidi Klum if you wish), and the audience vote, which will take place through forum polls.
• There will be multiple categories, including PvP and Tier, separate categories for each armor class, and some other fun things. We’ll let you know as soon as the full list of categories gets finalized.
• You don’t just need a good outfit. You should also have a well-thought-out image of your character. Clear but creative is a plus. 

The prize:  as with the pet battle tournament, the winners may choose any BoE item or cageable pet in the game that can be farmed solo, and either the officers will farm it for them or the guild bank will buy it, depending on circumstances.

OK Sinners, get a move on! You’ve got pets and transmog gear to farm!

If you have questions or comments about either contest, please place them in the forum thread here.

Happy hunting!

We can now post the results of our first annual, or semi-annual, or once a raid tier or so, Sin Guild Superlatives!

Note: Due to a technical error that occurred when I began closing polls, the polls that weren't affected have been left open so that everyone can view the results. I will close them once everyone has had a chance to see the final voting. If you vote or change your vote after today, I will ask our Guild Bouncer to hunt you down and make you spend the rest of your WoW career fishing. In Durotar. You have been warned.

Now, on to the winners!

Best Dressed: Leo
Most Altruistic: Bubba
Most Likely to Grats: Bubba
Most Likely to Piss Off the New Guy (hereby known as Guild Bouncer): Melyss
Most Likely to Kill a Fellow Raid Member for Fun: Vykas
Most Likely to be Killed While on Follow: Melyss
Most Likely to Be the Last One Standing: Samit
Most Loyal to the Same Toon: Hyjinx
Most Likely to be Heard Eating Over Vent: Crewdog
Most Likely to Have an Obscure Achievement: Faz
Best Toon Naming Convention: Samit
Most Likely to be Found Doing Dailies: Bubba
Least Likely to be Found Doing Dailies: Vykas
Most Obscenely Wealthy: Dirty
Most Pet Obsessed: Storie
Most Mount Obsessed: Faz
Most Likely to Get Something Thrown in Their Bags: A tie! Melyss and Samit share the title!
Most Likely to Fill Up Someone Else's Bags by Throwing Things: Samt

Congratulations winners! Enjoy your honor . . . or shame . . . depending.

To everyone who participated: Thanks for making the first Sin Guild Superlatives so much fun! You guys really are the best guild around. Now start thinking about new categories for next time, and be sure to grats the winners when you see them!

UPDATE: Polls will be closing at midnight EST on Friday, 11/30. Winners will be announced on Saturday.

___________________________

Wait! Before you go down to the links and start clicking, read this!

So, polls are up, and it's time to commence ta votin'. Just a few details first.

Detail 1: We unfortunately had a couple of folks nominated who from what we know aren't planning on coming back to the game or the forums any time soon. We decided those titles would be better reserved for those who might appreciate them. So if you see a name missing, that's why.

Detail 2: We also had several locks, in which a single guildie was the only nominee. In all of these cases the members in question were nominated by multiple guild members, meaning they are the undisputed holders of these titles. Let's take a moment to congratulate:

Bubba, Most Likely to Have That Obscure Item You Totally Need in Their Bags
Samit, Best Use of One Liners
Vynnie, Most Likely to Delete a Max Level Alt
Intocable (now known as Dapalladin), Best Giggity User
Ghostdance, Most Likely to Get a Battle Rez

Congrats, you dying, hoarding, alt-deleting, inuendo-throwing Sinners!

Now, on to the main event
Clicking the links below will take you to the appropriate forum thread for voting.

Best Dressed
Most Altruistic
Most Likely to Grats
Most Likely to Piss off the New Guy
Most Likely to Kill a Fellow Raid Member for Fun
Most Likely to be Killed While on Follow
Most Likely to Be the Last One Standing
Most Loyal to the Same Toon
Most Likely to be Heard Eating Over Vent
Most Likely to Have an Obscure Achievement
Best Toon Naming Convention
Most Likely to be Found Doing Dailies
Least Likely to be Found Doing Dailies
Most Obscenely Wealthy
Most Pet Obsessed
Most Mount Obsessed
Most Likely to Get Something Thrown in Their Bags
Most Likely to Fill up Someone Else's Bags By Throwing Things

Now go vote, and have fun!

We are happy to announce the first annual, or semi-annual, or once a raid tier or so, Sin superlatives! It's just like busting on each other in Vent or guild chat, but with official titles and voting.

The officers have come up with a few categories to get things rolling, but we want your suggestions. For the next week, we'll be watching this post for ideas. After that, we'll formalize the list and start taking nominations in each category.

This activity is for everyone. You don't have to be a raider. Heck, you don't even have to be actively playing WoW at the moment (but if you are, you'd better still be in Sin).

If you have a category suggestion you'd rather not have attached to your name, just send me a private message. The same will go for nominations when we get those going next week.

The only rule for category suggestions: Don't be a jerk. There's a fine line between ribbing and insulting, but if anyone can push those limits without breaking them, it's Sin.

For example, when we came up with the idea for "Most Offensive," we were pretty sure we knew who would win, but we're also pretty sure this person will wear the title with pride. Suggesting a title like, "Most Likely to Stand in Fire," on the other hand, is mean. Nobody's proud of that.

So, here's the list of superlatives we've come up with. Click here to add yours to the official forum thread, and start thinking of suggestions for next week's nominations.

Best Dressed
Most Offensive
Most Likely to Have That Obscure Item You Totally Need in Their Bags
Best Use of One Liners
Most Altruisitic
Most Likely to Delete a Max Level Alt
Most Likely to Grats
Best Giggity User
Most Likely to Piss Off the New Guy
Most Likely to Kill a Fellow Raid Member for Fun

Now head over to the forum thread and add your category!

Now that we've spent the past two weeks exploring all of the nooks and crannies of this new expansion. I wanted to take a moment and check-in and see where everyone is at. 

As of our last check-in prior to the expansion we had almost enough people for one raid group. Since then far more people have come back--lured by the draw of bouncy pandas and fat loot I assume. However, those people who have come back still haven't let any of the officers know their intentions for raiding. 

So I come back to you now and ask: please let us know what you plan to play for this coming tier. I would like us to have a group up and running within the next two weeks. 

The plan for our main group is to have the following composition:

• 2 Tanks (one shield, one non-shield)
• 3 Healers (one single-target, two aoe/raid)
• 2 Melee
• 3 Ranged

Earlier yesterday I was approached by one of the guild leaders of the guild Intervèntion. He proposed a guild merger between our two guilds--with the ultimate goal of having a full-blown 25 man progression group for Mists. His pitch sounded quite intriguing (my love for the 25 man format not withstanding). The basics of which boil down to him needing just 7 more players for his 25 man roster.

The officers got together and discussed the merits and aspects of the offer and ultimately decided that for the guild at large it didn't seem like a good enough deal to warrant moving all of us over there.

The two guys that I spoke with in Intervèntion were great guys and so I was a little sad to have to let them know that we wouldn't be taking the offer. However, the other officers and I decided that if there are those of you interested in taking up this deal then by all means go for it. We would never want to hold anyone back. I spoke to Solarain and he is willing to bring on anyone who is interested (his realid is cporschien@gmail.com). He's looking to have everything finalized this weekend. 

So with that said, if you do decide to take up this offer, just let me know. Since we are finishing up our own roster I'd like to get everything settled sooner rather than later. 

If you have an questions or comments feel free to post them in the comments section below! And see you in Mists!

Mists of Pandaria will be available on DVD-ROM for Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 and Macintosh® at a suggested retail price of 34.99 € / £29.99. The expansion will also be available digitally directly from Blizzard's World of Warcraft website (www.WorldofWarcraft.com), also priced at 34.99 € / £29.99.

In World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, warships of the Alliance and Horde clash off the coast of a long-lost continent, signaling the start of a new era of discovery and conquest in the history of Azeroth. As players storm the shores of this exotic new frontier and begin to explore its mysteries, they'll encounter brave new allies, unearth ancient secrets, and play their part in reigniting the long-brewing conflict between the Horde and Alliance on a strange battlefield far from home.

It begins.

While we still don’t have a release date for Mists, the 5.0.4 PTR is now live. I would like anyone who is interested to play around this weekend and let us know in this thread if you would like to form up a Dragon Soul raid to play with our new toys.

Hey Sinners! By now you all know (or at least, those of you who pay attention to the forums know, and we love you for it) that the officers met before Tuesday's raid to discuss a number of issues that have been raised by our members and to solidify the guild's direction now and in the future.

Chances are you might see one thing here that makes you unhappy, but then something else that makes you ecstatic. Just remember that there are several items to be discussed, so please read and digest this update in its entirety before reacting.

read more . . .

We want everyone's opinion! Now's your chance to be heard!

Comments have been disabled in this thread to keep the discussion in one place.

Please read and respond to the forum post here.

Enjoy Diablo 3!

Here's a link to your Launch Day Preparation Guide in case you haven't already been checking it out. 

Grats Nak!

A very large grats to Sneak and everyone who helped!

Is live!

For those of you lucky enough to get in, post a comment below!

Panda tsunami, go!

As I am sure all of you are aware, Mists of Pandaria is the next expansion for the World of Warcraft. Earlier today the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) on the information revealed at the press tour was lifted and MMO Champion shared a plethora of new Pandaria-related information. 

Below are the major points that were revealed during that press event:

• The final patch of Mists of Pandaria will be the Siege of Orgrimmar! Both factions lay siege to the city to bring Garrosh down and end his reign of Warchief.
• The new LFR loot system will allow everyone to roll individually. The highest few rolls will win an item from the boss. Upon winning a roll, if the boss has an item that you can use, you will win it. If not, you will get some amount of gold. It will only be in LFR to begin with, but can be added to other parts of the game later.
• An 11th character slot has been added.
• AoE Looting has been added.
• There will not be an item squish in Mist of Pandaria.
• No new race models are ready to be added yet.
• There will be nine level 90 heroics for players as well as three raids with 14 raid bosses and three difficulties. There will be an additional two world bosses.
• Scenarios will take place at level 90, in an instance, and reward reputation and Valor points. They don't need a healer, tank, and DPS, just DPS is fine. Each will take 10 to 30 minutes to complete and five or more will be available for launch.
• In Challenge Modes, the vast majority of players will most likely earn a bronze medal even if they are a relatively unskilled player. After a player earns all the medals at the Bronze level, they will be rewarded with an achievement and title. Completing all of the Silver medals will earn a set of spectacular gear for transmogrification, and completing all of the gold will earn a unique epic flying mount. Challenge modes will be available for the six new dungeons at launch.
• Cloud Serpents are the Pandaren's mount of choice. You can raise your own by doing 20 days of daily quests.
• The Tillers faction will let you run your own farm! The farmer's market will provide daily quest to improve your farm every day, you will be able to clear plots of land and plant things like cooking ingredients, herbalism nodes, gifts for NPCs to build your reputation... etc.
• Warlocks got the most class changes in MoP, along with new pets.
• There will be more mounts and less color swaps for different rewards.
• They are adding armor to creatures to give them varied appearances, something other than just simple color changes.
• There are now seven zones, up from five. This was done to add more content to the game and give players a less linear progression path so that leveling for a second or third time isn’t the exact same.
• There will be one new arena and two new battlegrounds at launch.
• PvP pet battles are going to be fun and causal, only tracking the number of wins and not the number of losses. When fighting another player, you cannot see the other players name or communicate with them.
• Currently, every race except Goblin and Worgen can learn the ways of the monk.
• The Pre Mists of Pandaria Patch will be roughly two weeks before launch and bring simple rewards. It might involve a scenario with Theramore and the Alliance vs Horde theme. Chen Stormstout might also come to the local cities and get players excited about what is coming.

In addition to that, Blizz has also released the Female Pandaren models (which I personally think are a bit lacking... but I guess it could be worse). Along with that they also released the talent and skill tree informaiton for the monk class: here.

The sheer volume of information release is slightly overwhelming. One of the things that is really intriguing me the most is this post-90 focus on Alliance vs. Horde and the final battle with Garrosh. I know I'm not the only Horde-y who has no love for that orc and would love to plunge several sharp objects into his shriveled, black heart.

The information definantly has me intrigued and looking forward to the beta. What are your thoughts? Are you planning to stick it out for another expansion?

With 16 seconds left on the enrage timer we managed to kill the former Aspect of Earth.  Azeroth is now safe from his reign of terror!

[Update] Both groups have now vanquished the Destroyer! Congrats!

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great — You have no power over me. - Sarah, Labyrinth

After many long months we have completed our first Legendary.  Grats to the recipient, Tyvas, and to everyone else for working hard for this shared goal.

The pet is now available at the guild vendor. Exalted Rep and 1350G.

The masses (and our overall performance) have spoken, and it looks like the majority opinion is that 10-man raids simply work better for Sin this early in the tier. The officers got together today and hashed it out over a free-for-all brawl and some mud wrestling (Ell looks great in a bikini, btw) and we put together what we feel are the most optimum groups based on roles and known scheduling conflicts.

Read more here.