STO: Fake Female Player Gets a New Avatar, Cryptic Continues to Ban Players at His Behest

Thanks to the many STO players who informed Stormstrike that STO player Katic has changed his avatar. As we noted in our last post, Katic was using a stolen image by photographer Kristina Tararina. The photograph was of a Russian model named Lubov. We contacted Tararina directly, who confirmed the image belonged to her, and [...]

STO Gets Its Own Ferraro: Is It Ever Acceptable to Steal Someone’s Identity Online?

UPDATE:  We sent an e-mail to photographer Kristina Tararina, who confirms the woman in the photo is not the player named Katic, and naturally Tararina is not happy that her photographs were stolen. See the bottom of this post for the e-mail. In the meantime, Katic continues to antagonize players, while Cryptic Studios continues to [...]

Patch 3.3.5 Test Drive: Enhancement DPS

With Cataclysm two months away, Emblems of Frost are going to be the new Badges of Justice. Hooray!

Crafting: Are World of Warcraft Players Bad Tippers?

Are World of Warcraft players bad tippers? Stormstrike asks this question, drawing on anecdotal experience as a crafter and comments from other players to determine what the best tipping etiquette is when having an item created, gemmed or enchanted. From the cheap bastards to the benevolent, tipping could have an effect on how crafted patterns circulate — and how easy it is to find someone with a particular pattern, plan or design.

Merry Christmas!

Despite the holiday season, and a serious lack of will to raid — nevermind a serious lack of regular raiders — my guild is now 4/4 in Icecrown Citadel. We can all kick back with some eggnog with the satisfaction of knowing we’ll be ready when the next wing opens. In the meantime, blogging has [...]

Forge of Souls: Finally got in!

Forge of Souls: Icecrown Citadel’s first five-man — Stormstrike blogs live during Wrath of the Lich King’s 3.3 Patch night!

More than just Gear(Score): An interview with Gear Score’s developer

Stormstrike blog sits down with Gear Score add-on’s developer to talk about gear vs skill, misconceptions about Gear Score, the attitudes many players have towards pugging instances, and more! Check out this interview with the creator of one of World of Warcraft’s most controversial add-ons, with a preview of things to come in the next version of Gear Score.

Patch 3.3 will feature a revamped tutorial system to help new players ease into the game

I think this is an important change. Sure, we can make jokes about “noobs” but a lot of people who try WoW out for the first time have no experience with MMOs, and let’s not forget this game has a wide-ranging demographic. Off the top of my head, I know a 67-year-old grandmother who plays [...]

Tier 10 Enhancement Shaman set bonuses

The past week has seen a flurry of data-mined art depicting Tier 10 sets for almost every class besides Shaman. Maybe that’s a good thing, because Tier 10 sets for classes like Rogues and Hunters don’t seem to be going over very well, at least aesthetically. The good news is, MMO-Champion’s given us a preview [...]

Back With A Brand New Rap

Not really. But I have returned to write this blog, after a long (and much needed) respite from the game. If you’re like me and you’ve played World of Warcraft for any number of years, burnout may be a familiar sensation. I started playing the game in the early stages of the Burning Crusade, and [...]