WoW Classic Beta is Now Live - Wowhead News

Story time: I re-made one of my old toons and was derping around in Mulgore and very quickly remembered that vanilla, she's a fickle beast. I was in the bristleback area (first hostile mobs) on my shaman just trucking away pulling them one at a time as you do, but I made the classic mistake of forgetting that if you keep pulling stuff to you eventually the first respawns will pop on you and gang-bang you into the ground. So, I've got 3 of them on me, stoneskin totem down and I'm only using mana on healing wave but it's getting desperate when suddenly this warrior charges up from behind me and joins the fight.
Now, you might not remember this but there was no shared tagging in vanilla.. so buddy wasn't getting any xp or quest drops for joining in the fight. He did it simply out of the goodness of his heart AND really if he was going to be selfish (efficient) he should have just let me die because less competition, right? Anyway, I express my thanks and we party up and complete the area together. He has some other quests to do nearby that I've already done, so we part company with a 'Good luck, hope to run into you again' and bunny-hop our separate ways.
By the end of that session I ended up joining up with a few other random people, but I was definitely feeling the pull for a little more consistency in my allies and I wondered who else has beta access that I can play with?

So, anyone else out there with WoW Classic beta access? I'm impartial to playing on the pve or pvp server and whether I play horde or alliance. Just looking for some like-minded people to derp around with who aren't in a rush.

I was snorting arcane powder and reading “The Fountainhead” in the front seat of my privately owned police hog when a group invite came in. I put a 75 silver in the radio to accept it. It was the chief.
“Bad news, hunter. We got a situation.”
“What? Is sylvana trying to ban trans fats again?”
“Worse. Somebody just stole four hundred and forty-seven million gold ’ worth of bitcoins.”
The heroin needle from irl practically fell out of my arm. “What kind of monster would do something like that? Bitcoins are the ultimate currency: virtual, anonymous, stateless. They represent true economic freedom, not subject to arbitrary manipulation by any goldseller. Do we have any leads?”
“Not yet. But mark my words: we’re going to figure out who did this and we’re going to take them down … provided someone pays us a fair AH rate to do so.”
“Easy, chief,” I said. “Any rate the market offers is, by definition, fair.”
He laughed. “That’s why you’re the best I got, IcedwarrlordXx Now you get out there and find those bitcoins.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m in it.”
I put a 75 silver in the siren. Ten minutes later, I was on the scene. It was a normal outpost building, strangled on all sides by public sidewalks. I /jump over them and went inside.
“/ignore ggjjskeeuf™ Presents the Police!®” I said, flashing my badge and my gun and a small picture of Ron Paul. “Nobody move unless you want to!” They didn’t.
“Now, which one of you punks is going to pay me to investigate this crime?” No one spoke up.
“Come on,” I said. “Don’t you all understand that the protection of private property is the foundation of all personal liberty?”
It didn’t seem like the noobs did.
“Seriously, guys. Without a strong economic motivator, I’m just going to stand here and not solve this case. Gold is fine, but I prefer being paid in subscription time or autographed Alexsensual posters.”
Nothing. These people were stonewalling me. It almost seemed like they didn’t care that a fortune in computer money invented to buy gold was missing.
I figured I could wait them out. I lit several cigarettes indoors. A pregnant lady coughed, and I told her that secondhand smoke is a myth. Just then, a noob in greens made a break for it.
“/cast cheeta™ Eat Fresh and Freeze, Scumbag!®” I yelled.
Too late. He was already out the front door. I went after him.
“Stop right there!” I yelled as I ran. He was faster than me because I always try to avoid stepping on public sidewalks. Our country needs a private-sidewalk voucher system, but, thanks to the incestuous interplay between our corrupt federal government and the public-sidewalk lobby, it will never happen.
I was losing him. “Listen, I’ll pay you to stop!” I yelled. “What would you consider an appropriate price point for stopping? I’ll offer you a thirteenth of an ounce of gold and a gently worn ‘Bob Barr ‘08’ extra-large long-sleeved mens blue boe that i got!”
He turned. In his hand was a gnomish deathray that the gnomishengineereier said he had every right to own. He fired at me and missed. I pulled my own gun, put 75 silver in it, and fired back. The bullet lodged in a mailbox less than a foot from his head. I shot the mailbox again, on purpose.
“All right, all right!” the man yelled, unequiping his weapon. “I give up, hunter! I confess: I took the bitcoins.”
“Why’d you do it?” I asked, as I slapped a pair of Oikos™ Greek Yogurt Presents Handcuffs® on the guy.
“Because I was afraid.”
“Afraid?”
“Afraid of an economic future free from the pernicious meddling of central bankers,” he said. “I’m a central banker.”
I wanted to coldcock the guy. Years ago, a central banker killed my partner. Instead, I shook my head.
“Let this be a message to all your central-banker friends out on the street,” I said. “No matter how many bitcoins you steal, you’ll never take away the dream of an open society based on the principles of personal and economic freedom.”
He nodded, because he knew I was right. Then he traded me 33 gold to pay me for arresting him.

My opinion on this isn't coming from a place of rabid elitism or anything so, for those who disagree, please take it with a grain of salt.
I almost think that the Classic Beta should be reserved for players who purchased and played Vanilla on their account when it was current content. Of all the people who could give the most accurate feedback, players who's account actually played during Vanilla would be the ones.
Now, I get that Vanilla was a long time ago and many people can't recall all of the little incatricies of Vanilla but I still feel like using players who played on their accounts during Vanilla as a base standard would be the best place to start. At the very least, I think the early Beta waves should be reserved for old Vanilla players before opening up to everyone else.
I don't believe a Beta for Classic has been officially announced but it's a very safe bet that there will be one. The idea of the Beta had me thinking of this. Curious as to everyone else's opinion on it.

A lot of titles were brought out and many either died, are barely able to keep a hold, or didn't even make it out the door before getting the Axe. Despite all this, there are laments over games like Wild Star and....hold on, I'll think of something *flips through notes.*
Pantheon?
Probably not, I don't know what people are sad to have the doors shut on except for one of the stranger ideas that was WS. I played a bit, was okay, thought being a zombie was cool. Other than that, it didn't click with me.
Anyway, you had SkySaga which I loved that was shut down, Maplestory 2 which started strong before going vertical, and I highly, highly, HIGHLY doubt a League MMO is going to even survive the first few months to a year which is where I believe the original problem comes in. People want another World of Warcraft, proof is that Classic WoW blew everything out of the water, burning crusade on its way is going to guarantee that some names coming out are going to struggle if not flat line on release.
Corepunk, which I'm excited for, has already pushed back it's beta and there's complaints of movement speed. New World, oh boy, where do I begin with that? A PvP-focused MMO that 180'd because most players don't like PvP and the lack of loot, dungeons, raiding, etc.
Bringing in point number 2, what are the most common things that are missing from these games I hear all around? Lack of loot, lack of endgame content, lack of progression, and similar tones. Few care for the story, the journey from 1-99 is completely ignored by the masses that try to hit cap ASAP and begin running the hamster wheel.
The only reason games like GW2, ESO, and FFXIV do well is probably because they never dived into WoW in its entirety. My first MMO was OSRS and then I moved on to GW2, having never really touched the game except our cousin showing us for 10 minutes. Everquest and Ultima surviving in the same manner that OSRS does - so well established that moving on from anything else is a death sentence.
You've played Warcraft for probably a decade now, if not longer, what's the justification of leaving? You have your guild mates, new expansions come out, you're so deep in that well you could see the League players digging along side you. It is such an old game that does the genre almost perfectly, nothing can compare to it and many try to dethrone it. Those that "break the mold" see a fast guillotine as players don't like slow, methodical gameplay that requires more than one person or faceroll with a team.
Edit: Thanks for the Silver, stranger!
E2: Uh, not sure how I was helpful, but thank you? Or should it be you're welcome? Let's go with the second part.

I've played WoW off and on since the beta for the original vanilla WoW launch, I played heavily in vanilla, BC and wrath but I tapered off after wrath as the game just didn’t feel the same anymore and life got in the way. Each expansion I would play again at least through the leveling content, but not much more than that.
When classic WoW was announced I was, like many, beyond stoked! I wondered still if it would be as good as I remembered it or if it was all just nostalgia. I made a Night Elf warrior and at level 7 I ran into a level 7 priest outside the grel cave in Teldrassil. We grouped up for the evening doing various quests and arranged to meet online the next day to continue questing. The next day we both came online at about the same time and hopped in discord together. We immediately began talking endlessly about the game and everything we loved about it. This quickly escalated to late night phone calls and video chat, and by November of 2019, after meeting twice in the real world, we became boyfriend and girlfriend. She lived in Montana at the time and I lived in Oregon and just as the pandemic hit we moved-in together. We spent countless hours leveling together all the way to 60, exploring all that Azeroth had to behold. After struggling to find a guild that met our desires and schedules, we finally found an amazing group of people and joined their guild. We have made such amazing friends through the inherent social nature of classic WoW, something the retail game is so devoid of. The game has brought so much joy into my life, it encouraged and created the opportunity for my girlfriend to start streaming as well (although the pandemic is probably mostly to thank for that lol).
When I was a kid, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and while I did get to 60, I only raided a little bit and I was terrible at the game. I wanted to experience all the content classic WoW had, and finish Naxxramas! Now we are at 12/15 in Naxxramas with our guild, we are all Facebook friends and love playing other games with each other too! My girlfriend’s stream is starting to gain some traction, and things could not be better. I remember when I was a kid, I thought it would be so cool to have a partner as invested in the things I like to do as I am, but I always thought that was a pipe dream. What makes WoW great is the social aspect of it, the whole “massively multi-PLAYER” part. I never could have imagined it would deliver so much fun in my life and bring me and my partner together. Classic WoW is an adventure built on the friendships you make and the people you meet, that is what makes the game truly great and timeless!
Edit: Screenshot
Edit 2: several people asked for the stream link, if anyone is curious here it is

hi.
you're on a rock floating in space.
pretty cool, huh?
some of it's water.
fuck it, actually most of it's water.
i can't even get from here to there without buying a boat.
it's sad.
i'm sad.
i miss you.
how did this happen?
a long time ago, actually never, and also now, nothing is nowhere.
when?
never.
makes sense, right?
like i said, it didn't happen.
nothing was never anywhere.
that's why it's been everywhere.
it's been so everywhere you don't need a where.
you don't even need a when.
that's how every it gets.
forget this.
i wanna be something.
go somewhere.
do something.
i want things to change.
i want to invent time and space.
and i know it's possible because everything is here and it probably already happened.
i just don't know when to start.
and that's exactly where it started.
whoah, i paused it.
i think there's a universe now.
what's it made of?
quarks & stuff
ah, that's a thing.
in a place.
don't like it?
try a new place.
at a different time™.
try to stick together, because the world is gonna get bigger.
and emptier.
but it's not empty yet.
it's still very full, and about a kjghpillion degrees.
great news!
the quarks are now happily married, in groups of three called a proton or a neutron
and there's something else flying around too that wants to join in but can't cause it's still too
HOT
great news!
the protons and neutrons are now happily married to each other.
and some of them even doubled up.
great news, the electrons have now joined in
congratulations, the world is now a bunch of gas in space.
but it's getting closer together.
and it's getting closer together.
and it's getting closer toge-
it's a star
new shit just got made!
some stars burn out and die.
bigger stars burn out and die with passion, and make some brand new, way crazier shit.
space dust
which allows newer, more interesting stars to be made, and then die, and explode into
even crazier space dust
so now stars have cool stuff around them, like rocks, ice, and funny clouds, which can make some very interesting things.
like this ball of flaming rocks for example.
holy shit, we just got hit with another ball of flaming rocks.
and it kind of made a mess.
which is
now the moon
weather update:
it's raining rocks from outer space.
weather update:
those rocks might have had water inside them, and now there's hot steam in the sky.
weather update:
cooler temperatures today, and the floor is no longer lava.
weather update:
it's raining.
severe flooding alert:
the entire world is now an ocean.
volcano alert:
that's land!
there's life in the ocean
what?
something's alive in the ocean
oh cool, like a plant or an animal?
no, a microscopic speck.
it lives at the bottom of the ocean and eats chemical soup, which is being served hot and fresh, made from gnarly space ingredients left over from when it was raining rocks or whatever.
oh yeah, and it can do that.
it has secret instructions written inside itself telling it how to build another one of itself.
so that's pretty nifty, i would say.
tired of living at the bottom of the ocean?
now you can eat sunlight!
using a revolutionary technique, you can convert sunlight into food
taste the sun
side effect: now there's oxygen everywhere and the sky's blue.
then the earth might have been a snowball for a while, maybe even a couple of times.
it's a sponge.
it's a plant.
it's a worm, and some other types of weird strange water bugs and strange fish.
it's the Cambrian explosion
"wow, that's animals and stuff"
but we're still in the ocean, hey, can we go on land?
no
why?
the sun is a deadly lazer
oh okay.
not anymore, there's a blanket
now the animals can go on land.
come on, animals, let's go on land!
nope, can't walk yet.
and there's no food yet, so i don't care.
ok, will you learn to walk if there's plants up here?
maybe, said some bugs, and fish.
ok, so i can go on land, but i have to go back in the water to
have babies
learn to use an egg.
i was already doing that.
use a stronger egg.
put water in it.
have a baby, on land, in an egg.
water is in the egg.
baby, in the egg, in the water, in the egg.
works for me.
bye bye ocean
and now everything's huge.
including bugs.
wanna see a map of the land?
sure.
oh fuck, now everything's dead.
just kidding, here are the survivors.
keep your eye on this one because it's about to become the dinosaurs.
here's another map of the land.
yeah, it broke apart, don't worry about it, it does that all the time.
here comes a meteor.
and the dinosaurs are gone
it's mammal time, here come the mammals.
look at those breasts.
now they're gonna dominate the world and one of them just learned how to grab stuff.
and walk.
no, like, walk like that.
and grab stuff at the same time.
and bang rocks together to make pointed rocks.
"ouch"
and set things on fire.
"yeouch"
and make crazy sounds with their voice.
"gneurshk"
which can mean different things.
that's a human person
and now they're everywhere.
almost.
ice age
what, you can walk over here?
cool.
not anymore
well i guess we're stuck here now.
let's review.
there's people on the planet.
and they're chasing their food.
fuck it, time to plant some grass.
look at this.
i control the food now.
now everyone will want to be my friend and live near me.
let's all build houses except mine is bigger because i own the food.
this is great, i wonder if anyone else is doing this.
tired of using rocks for everything?
use metal.
it's underground.
better farming was just invented, in a sweet dank valley right in between these two rivers.
and the animals are helping.
guess what happens next
more food.
and more people who came to buy the food.
now you need people to help make the food and keep track of the sales.
and now you need houses for people to live in and people to make the houses, and now there's more people and they invent things, which makes things better and more people come and there's more farming and more people to make more things for more people and now there's business, money, writing, laws, power.
Society
coming soon to a dank river valley near you.
meanwhile, out in the middle of nowhere, the horse is probably being tamed.
why is all my metal so lame and lumpy?
tired of using lame, sad metal?
introducing
Bronze
made with special ingredient tin from the far lands of tin land.
i don't know, my dealer won't tell me where he gets it.
also, guess what?
egypt
meanwhile, out in the middle of nowhere, they figured out how to put wheels on a horse.
now we're getting somewhere.
also
china
and did i mention
indus river valley civilization
norte chico
the middle east is getting more complicated, maybe because it's in the middle of the east.
knock knock, er, clop clop.
it's the people with the horses.
and they made an empire.
and then everyone else copied their horses.
greeks
ah look, it must be the greeks, er, a beta version of the greeks.
let's check in with the indus river valley civilization.
they're gone.
guess who's not gone?
china
new arrivals in india, maybe it's those horse people i was talking about, or their cousins or something
and they wrote some hymns and mantras and stuff
you could make a religion out of this.
there's the bronze age collapse.
now the phoenicians can get down to business
also, can we switch to a metal that's a little easier to find?
thanks.
look who came back to israel, it's the twelve tribes of israel.
and they believe in God
just 1 though, he's got like a ten step program.
here's some huge heads.
must be the olmecs.
the phoenicians make some colonies.
the greeks copy their idea and make some colonies.
the phoenicians made a colony so big it makes colonies.
here comes the assyrian empire.
never mind, it's the babylonian- median-
it's the Persian Empire
"wow, that's big"
ah, the buddha was just enlightened.
who's the buddha?
this guy, who sat under a tree for so long that he figured out how to ignore the fact that we're all dying.
you could make a religion out of this.
oops, china just broke, but while it was breaking, confucius was figuring out how to have good morals.
ah, the greeks just had the idea of thinking about stuff.
and right over here, alexander just had the idea of conquering the entire persian empire.
it's a great idea.
he was great.
and now he's dead.
hopefully the rest of the gang will be able to share the empire evenly between them.
knock knock, it's chandragupta, he says get the hell out of here.
will you get the hell out of here if i give you 500 elephants?
ok thanks, bye
time to conquer all of india
or
most of india
but what about this part?
that's the tamil kings, no one conquers the tamil kings.
who are the tamil kings?
merchants, probably
and they've got spices
who would like to buy the spices?
me, said the arabians, swiftly buying it and selling it to the rest of the world.
hey, china put itself back together again, with good morals as their main philosophy.
actually, they have three main philosophies.
out here, the horse nomads run wild and free, and they would like to ransack your city.
let's check the greekification levels of the greekified kingdoms.
greekification overload!
bye, said the parthians.
bye, said the jews.
hi, said the parthians, taking over the entire place.
heyyyyyyyy, said the romans, eating the entire mediterranean for breakfast.
thanks for invading our homeland, said the jews, who were starting to get tired of people invading their homeland.
hi, everything's great, said some guy who seems to be getting very popular and is then arrested and killed for being too popular, which only makes him more popular.
you could make a religion out of this.
want silk?
now you can buy it from china.
they just made a
brand new road to the world
or you can
get there on water
sick! new trade routes! said india, accidentally spreading their religion to the entire southeast.
hmm, that's a good place for an epic trading kingdom.
there goes buddhism traveling up the silk road.
i wonder if it'll reach china before it collapses again.
remember the persian empire?
yep, said the persians, making a new one.
axum is getting so powerful they would like to build a long stick.
has anyone populated madagascar yet?
let's do it together.
china is whole again
then it broke again
still can't cross the sahara desert?
try camels.
hell yeah! now we've got business
said the ghana empire, selling lots of gold, and slaves
hi, i live in the roman empire, and i was wondering
is loving jesus legal yet?
no.
actually, ok, sure, said constantine, moving the capital way over here to be closer to his
main rival
don't worry about rome, it won't fall.
it's the golden age of india
there's the gupta empire, not chandragupta, just gupta.
first name chandra.
the first.
guess who's in rome?
barbarians
what's a barbarian?
non-romans, said the romans, being invaded by non-romans.
r.i.p., roman empire, er, actually just half of it, the other half is just fine, but it's not in rome anymore so let's give it a new name.
the mayans have figured out the stars
oh and here's a huge city, population: everyone
the göktürks have taken over the entire eurasian steppe.
great job, göktürks.
how's india?
broken.
how's china?
back together
how's those trading kingdoms?
bigger, and there's more of them
korea has 3 kingdoms.
japan has a kingdom, it's the sunrise kingdom.
deep in the arabian desert, on the top of a mountain, the real god whispers in muhammed's ear.
so he goes down to the cube where everyone worships gods and he tells them their gods are all fake.
and everyone got so mad at him that he had to leave town and go to a different town.
you could make a religion out of this.
and maybe conquer the world as well.
the roman empire is long gone, but somehow the pope is still the pope.
plus there's
new kingdoms all over europe
i wonder if there's room for moors.
here's all the wisdom.
in a house.
it's the baghdad house of wisdom.
just in time for the
islamic golden age
let's bring stuff to the coast and sell it, and become the swahili on the swahili coast, said the swahili on the swahili coast.
remember this tiny space you have to go through to get from here to there?
someone owns that now.
wanna get enlightened in the middle of nowhere?
the franks have the biggest kingdom in europe, and the pope is so proud that he invites the king over for christmas.
surprise! you're the new roman emperor, said the pope, pretending to still be part of the roman empire.
then the franks broke their kingdom into what will later be called france and not france.
but the northerners, or just norse if you don't have much time, are exploring.
they go north, from the north to the northern north.
and they find some land.
two types of land.
and they name them accordingly.
they also invade some other places, and get called many names, such as vikings.
there's the rus.
the kievan rus.
are they vikings?
i don't think so, said the kievan rus.
ok, fair enough.
the pope is ready to make some more emperors.
of the "roman empire".
the holy roman empire.
it's actually germany but don't worry about it.
new kingdoms.
christianize all the kingdoms
which brand would you like?
mine's better.
mine's better.
mine's better.
time to conquer england, said william.
it's a bird, it's a plane
it's the seljuk turks
aah! said the byzantine empire who's getting so small and almost doesn't exist anymore.
we need help!
they need help, so they call the pope.
hey pope, can you help us get rid of the seljuks?
maybe take back the holy land on the way?
come on, i know you want to take back the holy land.
yes, i do actually want to do that.
let's do a crusade.
crusade
they did many crusades, some of which almost didn't fail.
but at least the italians got some sweet trade deals.
goodbye mayans.
hello toltecs
goodbye toltecs.
hello mississippi
look at those mounds.
there's the pueblo.
i always wondered how to build a town in a cliff.
guess who's here?
khmer.
where?
here.
and pagan is there.
vietnam unconquered itself, korea just became itself, and japan is so addicted to art that the military might have to take over the government.
china just invented bombs, and typing.
and the mongols just invaded most of the universe.
nice going, Genghis!
i bet that will last a long time.
some of the islamic turks were unaffected by the mongol invasions because they were busy invading india.
is it tonga time?
i think it's tonga time.
i just found out where the swahili gets all their gold.
look at this chad.
means "lake".
there's an empire there.
right in the middle of
Africa
the king of mali is so rich he's going on tour to let everyone know.
wow, that guy's rich, everyone said.
the christians are doing a great job reconquering iberia, which will soon be called spain and not spain.
please remain christian.
we will check in later to see if you're still christian when you least expect.
whoops, half of europe just died.
ming
china's back, yay!
hey khmer, time to share.
new kingdoms here and there.
oh, look who controls all the islands.
it's the mahajapit.
majahapit.
mapajahit.
mahapajit.
mapajahit.
majapahit?
oh, italy's really rich, time for them to care a lot about art and the ancient classics.
it's kinda like a rebirth.
here's a printer.
let's make books.
so you think you can conquer the byzantine empire?
yep, said the ottoman turks.
nice job, ottoman turks.
whoops, you missed a spot.
don't forget to ban europe from the indian spice trade.
what? that's bullshit, said portugal, spiceless.
well i guess we'll have to find another way to india
wait! said christopher columbus, probably smoking crack.
if the world is round, let's go this way to india.
nah, don't worry, we already got this, said portugal.
so chris goes to spain.
hey spain, wanna hire me to find india by going around back of the world?
no.
please?
no.
please?
no.
please?
ok.
so he sails into the ocean.
and discovers more ocean.
and then discovers the indies.
and japan.
let's draw a line to decide who gets which half of the world.
the aztec and inca empires are off to a great start.
i wonder if they know that europe just discovered their continent?
the habsburgs are marrying into so many royal families they might have to start marrying each other.
move over lithuania, here comes moscow.
ivan wants to make russia great again.
move over timurids, maybe go invade india or something.
persia just made persia persian again.
let's make it the other kind of islam.
the one where we thought the first guy should have been the other guy.
hey christians!
do you sin?
now you can buy your way out of hell.
that's bullshit.
this whole thing is bullshit.
that's a scam.
fuck the church.
here's 95 reasons why, said martin luther, in his new book, which might have accidentally started the protestant reformation.
you know what would be magnificent, said suleiman, wearing an onion hat?
what if the ottoman empire was really big?
which it is now.
what if russia was big? said ivan, trying not to be terrible.
portugal had a dream that they controlled the entire indian ocean, including the spice trade.
and then that dream was real.
and spain realized that this is not india, but they pillaged it anyway.
damn, said england and france.
we gotta start pillaging some stuff.
then the dutch revolt and all the hipsters move to amsterdam.
damn, said amsterdam.
we gotta start pillaging some stuff.
question 1: can you get to india through north america?
no, but at least there's beaver.
question 2: steal the spice trade.
that's not a question, but the dutch did it anyway.
sugar
guess where all the sugar's made?
in brazil.
stolen
and the caribbean.
and it's so god damn profitable you might forget to not do slavery.
the next thing on russia's to-do list is to get bigger.
britain and france are having a friendly discussion about who should control the entire world.
more specifically, ohio.
then it escalates into a seven year discussion, giving prussia a chance to show austria who's boss.
but what about britain and france, did they figure out who's boss?
yes they did.
it's britain.
guess who's broke?
also britain.
so they start taxing the hell out of america.
fuck you, says america, declaring their independence, and fighting for it.
and france helps them win, now france is broke.
and britain'll have to send their prisoners to a different continent.
wait, if france is broke, why do the king and queen still wear such fancy dresses?
let's overthrow the palace and cut all their heads off! said robespierre, cutting everybody's head off until someone eventually got mad and cut his head off.
you could make a reli- no, don't.
haiti is staring to like the idea of a revolution.
especially the slaves, who free themselves by killing their masters.
why didn't we think of this before?
wait, who's in charge of france now?
me
said napoleon, trying to take over europe.
luckily, they banished him to an island.
but he came back
luckily, they banished him to another island.
there goes latin america, becoming independent in the latin american wars of independence.
britain just figured out how to turn steam into power.
so now they can make
many different types of machines and factories with machines in them so they can make a lot of products real fast
then they invent some trains.
and conquer india and maybe put some trains there.
hey, china! said britain.
buy stuff from us!
nah dude, we already got everything, says china.
so britain tried to get them addicted to opium.
which worked, actually.
but then china made it illegal and dumped it all into the sea.
so britain threw a hissy fit, and made them open up five cities and give them an island.
britain and russia are playing a game where they try to stop each other from conquering afghanistan.
also, the
sultan of oman lives in zanzibar now
"that's just where he lives"
india just had a revolution, and they would like to govern themselves now.
nope, said britain, governing them even harder than before.
technology is about to go crazy
the united states finally figured out whether slavery is good or bad.
it's bad, they decided.
and then they continued manifesting their destiny, which is to kill the rest of the natives and take their land and maybe kick out the mexicans too.
i know, let's rape africa, said europe, scrambling to see who could rape it the fastest.
they never got ethiopia
britain and france are still hungry.
they never got thailand
the united states ran out of destiny to manifest, so they're looking for more.
hawaii
cuba
wait, spain controls cuba.
well, blame something on them and go to war!
what should we blame on spain?
let's blame the maine on spain.
so they blame the maine on spain.
now we're in business.
to celebrate, they kick panama out of panama and make a canal, connecting the two oceans.
britain just found oil in the middle east.
it makes cars go
china is so tired of being bossed around that they delete their old government and make a new, stronger government, which is accidentally weaker and controlled by a guy from the previous government.
europe hasn't had a war since the last war.
so they start world war 1.
look at those guns.
it's gonna be a great war.
so great we won't need a second one.
after it's over, they blame germany.
russia went on strike and the workers overthrew the government.
now everyone's paycheck is the same.
communism
in the soviet union
the arabs revolt and britain helps.
now the ottoman empire's gone so we can give the
jewish people a place to live
hopefully the arabs won't mind.
let's cut the cake, said sykes and picot, carving up the remains of the not-so-ottoman-anymore empire.
except turkey, turkey makes a brand new turkey
and then the saudis conquer arabia.
it just seemed like the right thing to do.
hello?
yes, it's the 1920's calling.
let's get in the car and drive to a party and listen to jazz on the radio and go to the movies.
the economy's great and it'll probably be great forever, just kidding.
germany's back, featuring hitler, the angry mustache model.
and he's mad at the jews for existing.
japan is finally conquering the east, and they're so excited they rape nanking way too hard.
they should probably just deny it.
hitler's out of control.
so the international community tackles him and then tries to explain why killing all the jews is a bad idea.
but he kills himself before they could explain it to him.
that's world war 2
bonus round!
pacific showdown.
united states vs. japan.
fight!
finish him
let's unite all the nations and have some
world peace
seems legit.
hi, i'm gandhi, and if britain doesn't get the hell out of india, i'm gonna starve myself in public.
wow, that worked?
bonus, now there's pakistan.
actually two pakistans.
one of them can be bangladesh later.
the jews and the arabs finally figured out which one of them should live in the holy land.
me, they both said at the same time.
let's divide up the land so everyone's happy.
sike, they both get angrier
look out china, there's a new china in china.
what's on the menu?
communism!
no thanks, said the other china, escaping to an island.
i wonder which one is the real china?
there's the korean war, korea versus korea.
nobody wins, then it's on pause forever.
let's meet the sponsors.
oh, it's the two global superpowers.
they're having a friendly debate over which economic system is good, and which one is an evil virus of Satan.
and they both have atom bombs.
fight!
wait, no, that would be the end of the world.
let's just keep it cool and spy on each other instead.
and make sure we have enough atom bombs.
i'll race you to space.
now let's make some more countries fight themselves.
europe is tired of pillaging other continents, so the continents they were pillaging are tired of being pillaged.
so here's a new map, with new countries.
now you can't tell who they're being pillaged by.
the united states finally decided whether racism is good or bad.
they decided it's bad, and the world agrees.
south africa might need another minute to think about it.
let's check the world population.
whoa.
okay.
technology's better too, that might keep happening.
the soviet union decides to relax a little, and accidentally falls apart.
europe makes a union, so now they can all use the same money, except britain, because they don't feel like it.
let's check the mail.
surprise, it's on the computer.
whoops, someone just attacked america.
i bet they'll remember that.
phone call.
surprise, it's in your pocket.
wanna learn everything?
surprise, it's on the computer.
now your phone's a computer, which is in your pocket.
whoops, the economy just crashed.
don't worry, the big banks won't fail because they're not supposed to.
surprise!
flying robots.
with bombs.
wanna print a brain?
some people have no friends.
some people have no food.
the globe is warming
and the ocean is full of plastic
let's save the planet! said everybody, not knowing how.
let's invent a thing inventor, said the thing inventor inventor, after being invented by a thing inventor.
that's pretty cool.
by the way, where the hell are we?

Anything still coming this year or is over ?
https://www.madworldmmo.com (supposed to come 2020 but im not sure )
https://corepunk.com/en/ ( Beta December ? )

Greetings, you likely don't know me, but some of you might. I'm FardHast, an anagram of 'hard' and 'fast' (don't mind me on simplicity I was a schoolboy and did everything at the last moment, very hard and very fast). I was getting high legend regularly on EU wild/standard of years 2018-2020. Posting combo decks results on twitter. Creating end-of-week TB posts. Twitch lurker, mostly been chatting on BoarControl streams, on FenoHS after Boar got a job. Anyway. I'm monogamous, and in games too. If I pick one I will play it for years. There can be the others, but they are super brief. The first computer game I had was the CS:S, then Minecraft and then Hearthstone was the longest one.
How I got into the HS? The Journey.
In 2013 I was watching the Russian youtuber Eligorko, because of his Minecraft let's plays. Then he starts uploading videos about HS, it looked like some Wow shit, so I wasn't interested and just skipped like 20 of his Arena videos. Then I'm like "fine, let's take a look". And I really got into it that I re-watched all previous 20. It looked very easy to understand. He liked to pick Paladin and tried to draft as many Truesilvers and Hammers as he can (the most premium arena cards at the time). And then I start picking up. Found Trump who was doing arena too and who lost to double Dust Devil t1. And Noxious. OMG. His Randuin Wrynn was so much fun to watch I couldn't stand it anymore: "I need this beta key right now, whatever it takes." At the closed beta you needed a key to enter the game. Don't remember, but I think you could either buy it, ask for it from Blizzard and potentially receive in a month or 2 or never haha, or win in a giveaways. There was a group in Vkontakte (Russian Facebook), which posted 1 key every 24 hours. I wasn't fast enough to take it on first 2 tries, the 3rd one was lucky. I immediately started tutorial and only played arena for a year, because to afford junky stuff like Randuin in constructed you need money and I was a teenager to have any.
In 2014 I saw Day9 on the Molten Giant OTK (Warsong granted ALL your stuff charge), how Reynad got legend with Aggro Warrior, how he invented the Zoo (lol), 5 mana Gadgetzan Miracle Rogue, Forsen, the birth of a cancer dank meme hs music, gachi, Alex the Seal, Radio Kappa. Nerfs to Sylvanas, Tinkmaster, Buzzard, Leeroy, Gadget, Soulfire, etc. All changes to Unleash. And why Dr.Boom is not Troggzor.
In 2015 I gained some gold from arenas to homebrew. For a short moment the interaction between Poison Seeds and Explosive Sheep was different (Sheep's dr activated after Treants) and that inspired me to build a Malorne Fatigue Druid. Not amazing, but I liked it. Also there I started to watch Kripp's gameplay on that deck and joined the subreddit for the news. Saw nerf to Undertaker, how a Patron Warrior didn't get traction in reviews and then it warped the meta with 9 card 70 dmg OTK's here and there with his iconic "Everyone, get in here!" in everyone's head. The first ever tavern brawl: Rag vs Nef. Mysterious Challenger didn't impress everyone until release and then "Who Am I??? Dr. 1-8" gave another portion of meme compilations. Reno Jackson w/ explorers ofc. The infamous "Soul of the Card" by Ben Brode on Warsong annihilation.
Met 2016 with the fork of constructed format. Posts of phenomenal street-arts of different Old Gods cards around the world. Nerfs of Classic. Introduction of Yogg. C'Thun, C'Thun, C'THUN!!! 4 mana 7/7. Shamanstone.
I invented Risky Skipper back in 2016. The idea was that you play Wild Pyromancer and Commanding Shout with some cheap spells to swing the board and draw cards with Battle Rage or Acolyte. Then you OTK the opponent with Raging Worgen, Inner Rage, Charge, Faceless, reduced by Emperor. I got the first legend with it and it became my first favorite deck. After that I noticed I'm HUGE fan of combo blowout decks (where you swing the board just enough to win or OTK). I don't remember exactly how I spread it out, I think it's through twitch telling legend players to try it out. People started picking up on it. It was especially fun watching Neviilz losing his mind and getting rank 1 legend in the meantime with it. At the end Charge card got annihilated.
In the middle after high school I went to university just because everyone were. The moron me still didn't think about his proper future.
Of course Ben Brode never ceases to amaze with his Purify and "Unicorn Priest that no one is playing". Infamous "The Purity of the Cards" video came after. Saw how Pavel got his Poly from a Book live. Captured Pirates vs Reno vs Jades meta, "Who Goes Thaaarrrrr?!, I'm in charge now!". Made a post after Raza got revealed that the effect should be nerfed to (1) to prevent the broken hero power OTKs now and in the future.
In 2017 Purify Priest actually became a legit deck as well as the new "1 star" Quest Rogue, the most cockroach deck of HS, only disappeared after 3 major nerfs. At the time Disguised Toast was the lord of bugs and inconsistencies. At his usual stream I tell him to check the Mirage Caller + PW: Glory glitch I found that seems to DC both players. Turns out with the right timing it can only DC your opponent. He showed a really major exploit and that got him banned from the game for 3 days. I'm glad that at the end he still gained much much more from an incident than lost. Butterfly effect at it's finest. Druidstone with their "Must feeeed!!!" on turn 5. The famous Hex nerf to 4 when Shaman was at the bottom.
Insane powercreep came at the Kobolds "In the dungeons I go deeper", that even after Witchwood in 2018 the meta hasn't changed, and the May nerfs did more than a rotation with a new set. Also some guy I believe still waiting for Shudderwock animations to finish. And, oh yes, the Naga ad was the only way for Blizzard to make change for the wild. In the middle of year AK-47 Druid became really oppressive in wild. Basically 1 card OTK through Melon drawing everything. At least nerfed Aviana still sees play. This is the year, where I started to get high legend in both standard and wild and I thought to myself "maybe this is the future".
In 2019 I got the first rank 1 legend with Sniplock. And after Blitzchung incident I had strong worry about Russia's standard of living. It's just getting worse and worse. Some people demanding their rights and I'm doing nothing, that's wrong.
2020 was weird and passed very quickly. I graduated from the university. And I still don't really like the direction it gave me, but anyway, I got the Covid-19 in November. It was the worst feeling, at the same time it helped me realize how big of an addition I have. With the new HS structure "rewarding time", I'm spending less and less of it, cause I have a job now and about to start a personal life. I had to drop the NA server entirely that I started a year ago (regular legend in both formats only on 1 server wasn't a challenge). And I felt relief. Hearthstone just doesn't bring the same emotions it used to be and I can't believe I was kept being excited every time for the past 7 years. That was truly amazing.
So this month the mini-set comes in, as usual I'm brainstorming all the combos I want to try, looking at what others coming up with. It releases, I'm trying it and have a smile. Smile of exhaustion. My enjoyment has been vanished into nonexistence. Finally I decided to quit. And to cure the addiction I just started to remove everything Hearthstone related from my vision. The app, deck tracker. Unsubbing/unfollowing from all the yt/twitch channels (except ChumpHS, because that would be a true miracle moment when he starts the stream). All hearthstone resources from quick tabs. Dunno what to do with twitter, cause my acc is full of HS. Reddit will be the last one.
If everything was fine with Russia I definitely would've chosen the route of HS competitostreamer. But with the situation we have I just can't continue spending any time on this game. My route holds in a duty to creating a fine future for my country. And it's not the military, I can't say here what exactly. I hope you understand me.
If you've seen this game from the start, please reply. We are interested to look at your perspective and how are you keeping up still.
I will definitely revisit this sub in the future, maybe in a year or 2 or 5. Just to get the nostalgic vibes and to see what the game has become.
Farewell ;)

Ok here's part 2 (edited to have proper links on 23/1/2021):-
Original Text - Part 2
-----------------------------------
Personal Wikis (offline)
Some can be hosted to be public or shareable but they were mostly mentioned in an offline or private/self-hosted context so I included them here. Some folks suggest using WikiMatrix to compare different wikis.

• Mediawiki - free, browser-based, techy to get started and bulky, uses wikimarkup formatting but powerful.
• See a discussion about optimising MediaWiki and its extensions and UnknownNam3's comment about self-hosting from mobile.
• Dokuwiki - free, browser-based, similar to mediawiki but light, especially with its "on a stick" option, pretty fully-featured without a database.
• Tiddlywiki and classic - free, browser-based (add-on may be required), contained single file wiki with plugins.
• Wiki on a Stick - free, browser-based (old add-on may be required), a different build and a more traditional webpage structure compared to Tiddly but essentially the same, not hostable.
• StaticWiki - free, browser-based, a useful tool for generating a completely offline, Markdown-based wiki, all control to you and easy to backup. Newly developed by LittleCodingFox who would appreciate feedback!
• Xowa - free, PC, Android, designed as an offline wiki-reader but can be used to create a personal wiki, a feature added in just for worldbuilding.
• Zim - free, Windows, Linux, desktop wiki with interlinking, table of contents/headings and basic formatting, with additional plugins available.
• Ema Personal Wiki - free, Windows, Android,
• Wikipad - free, PC, another desktop wiki, seems quite fully-featured.
• The Guide - free, Windows, another desktop wiki, seems to have some features but avoids clutter.
• Tomboy - free, PC, stripped down text notes, fast and cross-linkable.
• Emacs + org-mode - free, PC, techy. often compared with Scrivener in terms of functionality but with a learning curve? I hope some one can enlighten me as to how they use this for writing.

Personal Wikis (online)
All browser-based. Note that licensing/terms of use are very important here, pay attention if you want to keep your content yours. Also, keep an offline backup in case of downtime, deletion, discontinuation, etc. A user had their Wikidot marked as spam but was thankfully able to get it back. Some folks suggest using WikiMatrix to compare different wikis.

• Wikia - free, ads and requires a Creative Commons license. But not unusable, as a-asteroid explains.
• Wikidot - free, can be made private.
• Miraheze - free, a volunteer-run host using MediaWiki.
• Github/Gitlab repository-based - free, a choice between using the repository for files to generate your own site in Markdown like dmoonfire or just the built-in wiki feature (Github, Gitlab), barebones but simple enough.
• According to dmoonfire, Gitlab offers private repos for free while Github doesn't. More discussion about Git-repo features and its new-user-friendliness here.

Specialised Sites/Apps
Made especially for weirdos like us.

• Notebook.ai - freemium, browser-based, developed by drusepth
• Worldscribe - free, Android, developed by MarquisDeBlade
• World Anvil - free, in beta, browser-based, flexible wiki/database.
• Obsidian Portal - free, browser-based, wiki-style, made for RPG campaigns.
• Scabard - freemium, browser-based, RPG campaign organiser.
• Realmworks - paid, Windows, RPG campaign managedatabase, from the same folks who make HeroLab, a character manager.
• Masterplan - free, Windows?, an old DnD campaign plannemanager.
• Quoll Writer - free, Windows, fully-featured and designed for planning and writing novel chapter-by-chapter.
• Plotist - free public projects/timelines, browser-based, story and plot manager with a community.
• TerraChronica - free, browser-based, worldbuilding/sharing forum and repository. A bit on the inactive side.
• legendsandworlds - so, uh, this is pretty dead? But it might come back one day. There's a subreddit: legendsandworlds/
• Other writer-targeted apps: ywriter, FocusWriter, Ommwriter, Writemonkey, Writeroom, Zenwriter, Write!, Ulysses, RoughDraft, Liquid Story Binder, 750words.com, bibisco, Manuskript, FreeWriter, True Novelist, Celtx, Inform - See this detailed list from writing.
• Toyhouse - free/in invite alpha (hiiiperyon's offered their invites here), browser-based, a character repository and roleplay community.
• Charahub - free up to 100 characters, browser-based, a character repository and community.
• /worldbuilding's reading and resource list: do you guys use this? I sure as hell don't so I'm including it here for my fellow idiots.
• Art software masterpost compiled by mbartelsm.
• /mapmaking wiki: I know this post isn't about maps but I just really like having all the links in one place, okay?

Websites

• Reddit : free, keep track of it in your comment and post history, use a private subreddit with its own wiki/forum or go one step further and dedicate a separate account for it with the new-fangled profile feature.
• Tumblr - free, public or private blogging. Slightly better suited for short-form posts and media.
• Wordpress- free, public or private blogging. Slightly better suited for long-form posts and pages.
• Google Sites - free, choose between retro and modern versions, template-based, wiki-able.

Visualisers

• Freemind - free, PC, foldable branches and easy exporting.
• Xmind - freemium, PC, a lot of features are limited to paid packages but sync is free.
• Coggle - freemium, browser-based, only 3 private mindmaps but lots of features for free. quite pretty.
• TreeSheets - free, PC (beta for macOS), a hierarchical but powerfully flexible outliner-mindmapper.
• The Brain - freemium, PC, Android, iOS, seems to be the Evernote of Mindmaps with some feature restrictions. Those prices, man.
• ConnectedText - paid with 30-day trial, Windows, a mindmapper, outliner, editor, hyperlinking, attachments, plugins, a bit Scrivener-y.
• Mindly - freemium, Android, iOS, macOS, a pretty and flexible mindmapper.
• Scapple - paid, Windows, macOS, a simple freeform mindmapper by the same folks who made Scrivener.
• AeonTimeline - paid with 20-day trial, Windows, macOS, pricey but fully-featured with custom calendars and Scrivener compatibility. It seems to be a 'made by writers for writers' thing.
• TimelineJS - free, browser-based, timeline generator using Google Sheets.
• Timeline - free, Windows, Linux, what it says on the tin. Not pretty but functional.
• MindMup - free, browser-based, mindmaps with Google Drive integration.

Other Mobile/Webapps

• Workflowy - free, browser-based, Android, iOS, collapsible taggable web+app outliner
• Trello - freemium, browser-based, Android, iOS, collaborative/shareable 'kanban' boards and lists with plugin options (only 1 per board).
• Google Keep - free, browser-based, Android, iOS, note there is a character limit, better suited for short stuff. This is quite well-integrated with Google Docs too.
• Dropbox + Paper - free, PC, browser-based, Android, iOS, file syncing/backup with its own document editor (designed for business collaboration).
• Nuclino - freemium, browser-based, collaborative, wiki-like editor with search, filtering and folder organise-ability. Usage for worldbuilding discussed here.
• Excel - free but only for browser, a bit techy but some smart cookies have found great uses for it.
• cmbel2005 likes the sortability
• oli_chose123 uses it for statistics.
• alternatively, use Google Sheets - free, browser-based, Android, iOS.
• E-mail - sending scribbles and drafts to yourself to sort through later keeps it safe in the cloud. Just mind that recipient field.

Others

• Handwritten - in notebooks with all your fancy pens and stupid expensive Moleskins.
• other tools include whiteboards, corkboards, index cards, vinyl folders, binders (reordering pages!), notebook dividers.
• printing for physical organising, highlighting, notetaking.
• J_Webb has a pretty smooth process.
• Brain - keep it all in your head like the Sheldon Cooper you are.
• FreeUsernameInBox explains the psychology of it.
• Toastasaurus explains how they do it.
• More apps
• pinboards/bookmarks/portfolio sites: Pinterest, Juxtapost, Deviantart, Artstation, Dropmark, Jumpshare
• word processors: Microsoft Word, Zoho, Kingsoft, Wordpad, Abiword, Open/LibreOffice, Jarte
  • text editors: Atom.io, Sublime Text
• note-taking: SimpleNote, Laverna, TagSpaces, OpenNote, KeepNote, Oinker, Notezilla
• wiki: PBWorks wikis, BookStack, Slimwiki, Moinmoin, PHPWiki, PMWiki, Usemod, Cherrytree
• visualisers: MindMaple, TimeRime, TimeToast, Tiki-Toki, Timeglider, liniaa

Wow, you made it to the end. Good for you. If you still have no idea what to do (like me and I wrote this), then take a breath and take a break. Talk to a friend or internet stranger about it. Keep your worldbuilding fun, play around with different scenarios and constraints or let go of them altogether. Hydrate and wear sunscreen.
Big kudos to the mod(s?) for okaying this post (this means I am beyond criticism, right?) and to Despiel and PMSlimeKing who've been answering this same question over and over again, this post is dedicated to them. If I've missed out on anything or your own worldbuilding process hasn't been described here, feel free to share it and I'll add it at my own lazy discretion.

So let me get this straight, for the folks actually supporting the game with real life money. TL;DR below. Detailed history of Hearthstone monetization and Blizzard lies in the text.
We started with one pre-order deal that gave a card back and a bunch of packs at a discount. That made the card backs exclusive, but that isn't a big deal considering that now ever pre-order card backs seem to be obtainable through the shop for gold/money.
Then Adventures. Small sets of cards that you could get fully for 20 bucks or in game currency. Pretty good deal!
Then we had alternate hero skins with card backs. 10 bucks each. 10 bucks for a skin? Oh man that seems a bit much. But oh well, it's only cosmetic.
Then we got occasional bundles for cards beyond expansion pre-release stages. Nice. A deal of buying packs with real-money is always good.
Then adventures no longer were a thing. "We know you love solo content so we'll keep doing it though - just no more mini sets, and it will be free too". Bummer. But okay. Now we have three expansions a year. Which if you buy every deal Blizzard makes at this point, represents an investment of about 170$ on the whole year. That's not cheap is it? 14 bucks per month. That's a full price WoW subscription!!! And WoW is a much larger and more involved game to develop. Besides, nobody pays that anymore for WoW. The large majority of people like pay on average 10 bucks per month for it thanks to the 6 month recurring discount deal. But if you play Hearthstone a lot and like the game, shouldn't you support it? Sure. Let's do that. So by the end of KnC, we're at 170 bucks per year minimum for everything. Keep that number in mind.
Then we got two pre-order per expansion Starting with Boomsday. But that's okay, we had one big bundle and one small bundle. The big one contained all the benefits of the small one. And if you can spare the cash, you can buy both. That's more packs. Cool.
Then solo content suddenly became, oh surprise, paid again. But, with no cards to earn this time, aside stuff like Zayle. Priced, as much as adventures of old, without the cards. Sure, why not. Dungeon run is fun. Until Galakron's awakening that is. Then all pretence of "Three expansions per year and solo content for free" was officially dropped. And price kept increasing accordingly. Did we get our money's worth ? ... Still. But this is getting very pricey for a CCG. You know the sort of game where you actually pay for pixels that will not gain in value over time like say my MTG collection? While having a price to maintaining a collection that is at this point THE SAME?! I can buy full sets for each news expansions right now for the price I pay for Hearthstone in a year!
And then arrives the Year of the Phoenix. And stonks, we skyrocketed - the year isn't even over yet. This year we get mid expansion bundles on top of the seasonal ones. Let me list those. 2 pre-orders, three times a year = 130 bucks Up to now 6 bundles for cards/extra heroes = 135 bucks So far. Now you're telling me that the mega bundle doesn't include everything despite what it said at first (and despite common sense that it should). That I have to shell another 20 bucks, on top of the like 10 bucks you'll ask for each chapter of the Book of Heroes bundle (that at this rate will last until the beginning of the next standard year so another 80 bucks at least, not counting seasonal, etc.) See below for precise count of deals (not including card packs bought extra).
Now why am I angry at this? I can just not buy all these various bundles right? Indeed. What is the problem then? Beyond the fact that the tavern pass isn't included in the mega-bundle - for which we got LESS for the SAME price this time around without no explanation. We've got less card packs! Because of early access? For like what, two weeks tops? When regardless it's free starting today? So even that invited you to think that the pass was included. Hell they didn't even rename it. "Tavern Pass", the Perks + 4 tickets that have been included since Battlegrounds were first introduced. That is deliberately misleading and dishonest.
Beyond that, you're not supporting your community. The Tavern Pass paid track, should be cosmetic only. For twenty bucks getting seven skins + golden legendary and alternate art for the coin? Sure why not.
But what I actually find disgusting is that XP boost on top of everything. Much like the already overpriced so called "Perks" that are just "Pay 15 bucks if you're a pleb that can't afford/doesn't want to buy a pre-order" just to have extra hero picks in BG. Where that actually makes a difference.
I've looked at my transaction history and Blizzard in detail, this is a no go. I can keep supporting you if I so desire, but as good as Darkmoon Faire looks to be, I no longer want to. When I bought the pre-order, the tavern pass was listed as part of the bundle. When this was changed, I immediately contacted a GM to sort this out. The GM candidly explained that the tavern pass I checked out was the Scholomance academy one. False advertising. No official statements. And deliberately misleading.
I am not spending one more cent on this game before you go back to the drawing board with your more and more overt greed. I wish to support the developers, you know the people actually making the game what it is and deserving of support. But not an any price, especially given the recent history I just stated. It's time to say no. Firmly.
Signed a whale who supported the game and still can, but refuses unless this trend of power creeping costs without offering actually anything more stops.
Also be aware that after the conversation with the GM, expecting to be disappointed I didn't ask for a refund until I had confirmation. I will do so now however. And also contact UFC Que choisir (major consumer rights organization in my country) over the false advertising of the original bundles.
For reference, yearly Hearthstone spendings (not counting packs I bought without discounts, especially at the very beginning during beta).
2013: 30 (Blizzcon)
2014: 49 (Naxxramas and various bundles)
2015: 124 (TGT, BRM, LoE, Blizzcon, various bundles)
2016: 161 (OG, MSoG, Blizzcon, various Bundles)
2017: 175 (UNG, KFT, KnC, Blizzcon)
2018: 320 (RR, BP, Blizzcon, various bundles, WW)
2019: 435 (RoS, Dalaran Heist, SoU, Tombs of Terror, Blizzcon, DoD, various bundles)
2020: 525 (GA, AoO, SA, Darkmoon, various bundles) - expected to go up to to at least 650 (Book of Heroes, Tavern Pass, holiday bundles).
As for the packs I bought "full price", it oddly followed the opposite trend. A lot at the start, and progressively a lot less. Right now, this year, and the last, I haven't spent a dime on card packs outside of pre-orders and bundle deals.
TL;DR: Tavern Pass should have been included in the Mega Bundle instead of having to pay extra, again. And if not it shouldn't have been real money only for the xp bonus. Because that turns a 100% cosmetics thing into an actual important asset for players like the perks for Battlegrounds.Deliberate misleading advertisement and lack of communication on the subject make this outrageous, it is time to say "No" to this bullshit.
Edit: As for expenses, regarding an answer below, this covers every deal there ever was for Hearthstone. If you remove those that gave nothing exclusive (card back, portrait) it becomes the following.
2013: 30 (actually 32 since you had to buy at least 1 classic pack to unlike Golden Gelbin. In 2013 I bought actually 1600 packs, but I don't count full price packs/non bundle discounts) 2014: 49 or 30 (Naxx could be bought for gold for the same result - there were no pre-order advantages with real money before BRM which gave the molten core card back, and that was the next year) 2015: 124. That includes Medivh. Would have been 142 had I decided to buy Alleria and Magni that year as well. I waited the next year for those. 2016: 156. The difference comes from the original welcome bundle. 2017: 165. The difference comes from the two welcome bundles (you could buy them again when they changed these because your account no longer was flagged as having bought it) 2018: 140. Difference comes from various card pack bundles and discounting the smallest pre-order deal from Boomsday. 2019: 375 with Dalaran Heist (but there is no real money pre-order advantage for it), 355 without. 2020: 325 with Galakron's Awakening (but there is no real money pre-order advantage for it), 305 without. Projected cost for the rest of the year to get all exclusives: 100 more (Tavern Pass + Book of Heroes Skin Bundles).

Book 1 of The HEL Jumper
Book 2 of The HEL Jumper
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Thanks to Big_Papa_Dakky, Darth_Android, bloblob, AMERICUH, The_Real_Jumper, Mr_Polygon, Krystalin, Damned_Thrice, Mamish, Vikairious, Sam_Berry, RedHawkdude, KillTech, LilLaussa, Daddy_Talon, Gruecifer, Gaelan_Darkwater, Konrahd_Verdammt, red-shirt, DaPorkchop, Benjamin Durbin, Siddabear, and everyone supporting me on patreon.
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“This is new,” Veera mused, padding around her husband as he clothed himself in a dress uniform for the first time in many months. She could tell he hated it from the moment he pulled on the well creased pants, but he uttered not a single complaint. Instead, Veera did what she could to adjust things here and there. It was easy enough to guess that much of the symbology on the uniform was meant to denote his rank of First Lieutenant, and she was able to properly read his last name where it sat above his heart. She hoped her small touches here and there were welcome. “I don’t dislike it though. You look very important, my dear.”
“Well I’m glad someone likes it,” Russell replied, leaning over for a kiss before placing the navy cap on his head to round out the look.
“After seeing it so many times on Io I was wondering if I’d ever get to see it on you. Perhaps we can air it out and work the material to make it more comfortable?” Veera suggested.
‘Oh my dear Veera, the Admiral might agree with you but military garb is meant to be anything but comfortable. See how straight it makes him stand?’ Io observed, dressed similarly to Russell though without rank insignia. They were back aboard the Event Horizon in their cabin, a place for a private night alone once the two of them had gotten over the shock of Veera’s pregnancy. Veera had been sorrowful upon seeing her rose had wilted, as all cut flowers eventually do, but a quick trip to hydroponics alleviated that sadness. In a move that had surprised both Winters and Io, Veera promptly spilled the beans about her cubs to Anita as they watered her orchids. The young Indian woman had not known what to say when Veera had insisted they were Russell’s, but as time went on he understood why she’d decided to broach the subject at all. Far from judgment, Anita had offered them congratulations and well wishes when they parted. She had also offered her condolences regarding the Lancer, which the Jumper accepted quietly.
“Let’s just head to the shuttle bay. It’s almost time,” Winters suggested, surveying himself one final time in the mirror to ensure he was presentable. He wasn’t sure he recognized the man staring back at him. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing either. Veera took his hand.
“Today we can deliver them some good news,” she pointed out. He nodded and furrowed his brow.
“I know, but they’re still gone.”
‘I will be at the shuttle bay. Take your time,’ Io said, leaving them alone for a moment. Veera leaned against Russell and sighed deeply, not knowing what she could say to him. No one had been able to comfort her with words when her mother had passed either, nor when her father failed to return from the hunt.
“Thank you,” he whispered, leading her out into the hallways and on towards the shuttle that would take them to the place his pod had landed a year ago, fleeing the destruction of his ship and the wrath of Seil. When they arrived they were met by Pilot Cromwell, Admiral Kaczynski, and the Beta Jumper team. Russell managed a smile when he saw Rex, Lipper, and the others in uniform.
“At least they get to be as uncomfortable as me today,” he said quietly to Veera before saluting Natori and the others. “Thank you all.”
“We are here to pay our respects to the dead. Rivalry can wait for a day,” Mendes spoke, earning curt nods from the rest of his squad. Given that they all carried rifles, it was clear that Natori intended to live up to his promise of not shortchanging the fallen. Winters returned the greeting, a bare minimum he was willing to observe on that day in memory of Jessica and the others. They all turned towards the entrance of the shuttle bay as Alice and Lachlan arrived together, the former dressed in HEL dress blues without rank and the latter dressed in the tartan kilt of his clan and carrying a set of bagpipes under his arm. Veera looked at Russell for explanation as the Jumper first hugged his sister in greeting and then shook hands with Lachlan.
“It was yer sister and the Admiral’s idea. Hope ya don’t mind, sir.”
“I can’t play an instrument to save my life, Private. Assuming you can, I think the dead will appreciate it. Thank you.”
“If I may interrupt just a moment?” Natori requested, taking a step closer and gesturing to another shuttle next to Cromwell’s. “For the sake of ceremony it was my plan to arrive along with those conducting the triple volley today. I have three Marine volunteers as I assumed you would prefer to pay your respects as family. If you would prefer-”
“No that’s… that’s fine. Thank you, sir,” Russell replied stiffly. Natori dipped his head and gestured that Mendes and his team should get aboard.
“I suspect you are already tired of saying thank you, so you need not,” Kaczynski insisted, his tone hardening. “This is the least they deserve, and I will devote every effort to ensure that we bring word of their fate to their families once today’s ceremony is concluded, even if it means destroying that Forge.”
“We are ready to assist in discovering if there is an alternative,” Russell responded as Alice and Lachlan boarded Cromwell’s shuttle. “And if the Private needs a hill for those pipes, there are more than a few down there.”
“I can never tell when you Winters men are serious or joking,” Natori remarked with a hint of a smile. “I will see you down there, Lieutenant.”
“All aboard then. Let’s not keep the dead waiting,” Cromwell added, patting the ‘hood’ of her shuttle as the engines of the second spun up.
‘Nor the living. Room for one more?’ Io’s voice asked via their various earpieces. Veera looked around curiously.
“There’s always room for you, Io,” she replied sweetly, figuring that should be obvious. The AI’s voice laughed and faded, only to sound again from the hangar entrance. Natori’s mouth dropped open and Veera gasped loud enough to echo throughout the metal room as a sixth HEL Jumper stood at the threshold, clad in a pure white Aegis Mark II suit with emerald trim on the legs, shoulders, and arms. Rex, who was halfway into the second shuttle, began physically pulling his mates back out so they could get a better look. More than a few questions and curses were uttered quietly among the four of them.
“No…” Kaczynski whispered, awestruck, his shoulders slack in disbelief. His tone indicated what he likely meant was ‘yes’.
‘I was so hoping you would say that, Veera. I would hate to miss this. And what’s with that look, Natori? You’re the only one here who shouldn’t be surprised,’ Io insisted from beneath a helmet, kicking off and floating down to land in front of Russell, who was standing still as a stone, his jaw so tight that Veera could make out the tendons that connected his mandible to its various controlling muscles. He’d removed his visor from the side of his head and slipped it into his pocket, looking down slightly at the helmet Io had been using to project her voice. ‘Well? Go ahead before I think better of this,’ she whispered, her tone both tempting and wracked with nerves heavier than a young woman at the altar.
“Oh my god. Oh my god!” Alice murmured from her seat, punching Lachlan in the thigh repeatedly as her brother undid the helmet seals and lifted the armor away, revealing a shock of voluminous blonde hair done up in a bun and bright emerald eyes that shimmered as though she was crying. Across the shuttle bay, Natalya promptly reversed Rex’s actions, pushing her team back into the shuttle and then tugging on Natori by the back of his uniform’s collar. She had only seen a man make the face that Russell Winters was making once in her life.
“Sir, I believe it is time to leave,” she insisted, making it clear it wasn’t a choice. Natori nodded silently, saluted, and departed, leaving the three of them with his ‘blessing’ as the shuttle kicked off the ground and headed for the planet. Veera’s feathers were vibrating about as fast as she could ever remember, but she waited patiently, allowing Russell his moment in what she could only describe as a miracle. Spirits only walked among the living in stories.
‘I’m not… whole yet, but I could not be at your side when they were laid to rest and to do so again seemed unacceptable. I wanted this to be a surprise but-’ Io gasped and her face twitched in pain as Russell brushed her cheek with his hand, rewriting various calculations and sensitivities until his touch felt warm and gentle. She had been watching him and Veera over many evenings, and knew well enough what it should feel like. Even if she hadn’t, the ‘literature’ on the subject was clear. ‘This seemed more important. Sir?’
Russell was gritting his teeth, visibly and audibly, the area between his brows furrowing as he tried to process what he was seeing, what he was feeling. Her voice wasn’t in his ear. She was giving off body heat. Her eyes were tracking his. The woman who cheated death once and then stared it in the face with him a second time was there, in front of him, real. He felt the tension in his calves and hamstrings as he began falling forward slowly. She reached out for him. He held the back of her head and the curve of her waist. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry today,” he whispered as something warm and wet landed on Io’s neck. “What in the world?”
‘It’s alright, sir. I am very much in the same boat!’ Io offered, her voice cracking as her armored limbs gently wrapped around him and began squeezing. ‘It’s really me though, I promise. Please say when?’ she requested.
“Right there is good,” he managed, closing his eyes as tightly as he could and fighting to control himself. “I wasn’t ready for this.”
‘Like I said, that makes two of us!’ Io sobbed, feeling her tear ducts activate. ‘Oh gods it’s working. I’m crying! Veera, if you wouldn’t mind saving us from ourselves here?’
At the AI’s plea, Veera threw herself onto them both. She shouted the obvious as she nuzzled them, earning a surprised but subsequently pleasant laugh from the AI. “Io! You have a body!”
‘Most of one! Hence the armor,’ she elaborated, running her fingers over Veera’s garments and then fur. She hoped she was being just forceful enough to convey longing and affection. ‘Oh Veera, I’m so happy for you. What a stress test of emotions! My legs are shaking.’
“Come on then, let’s get settled,” Russell suggested, slowly backing away until Io was at arm’s length. For long seconds he waited but the right words never came to him. “I’m sorry, Io. You deserve more than me staring at you like an idiot.”
‘Mein barbar…’ Io began, falling silent and eventually bobbing her head repeatedly as she faced the same conundrum. ‘We shall continue to be idiots together, it seems. But first let us say our official farewells and give well wishes to Jess and the crew. I do not know how long this platform will last carrying around an Aegis. It is rather heavy, and a testament to your physique.’
“You know all about my physique, but ok,” he agreed, escorting her and Veera to the shuttle while Alice waved happily at Io’s new form. Lachlan was plenty surprised, but having been in the room during the initial negotiations between Antoth, Natori, Russell, and Io, it was more amazement than anything else. Pilot Cromwell made no complaints, having received specific instructions from the Admiral the moment his own shuttle had departed to escort the pretty blonde ‘Jumper’ to the memorial site, no questions asked. As they travelled, Veera glanced over at Io.
“How did you do it, Io? This is amazing! Oh, are you not feeling well?” the Cauthan wondered, seeing that the AI appeared to be in some amount of mild distress based on her facial expressions.
‘No no, my dear, I simply have not had time to calibrate everything. It’s not an exaggeration to say I rushed this body out the door half finished, but I won’t be throwing up or anything so uncouth. Ah, there we are, that feels much better. Veera, what does it feel like for you when you are in these shuttles? How about you, Alice? Oh, and I apologize, Lachlan. You look quite dashing in a kilt. I did not mean to ignore you.’
“You an’ the Admiral have been quite busy I wager,” the Scotsman remarked evenly. Io smiled.
‘He has been quite supportive in this endeavor, yes. And before you become righteously indignant, Russell, I hope you will understand that I did not wish you to see me like some sort of skeleton or half finished experiment.’
Russell smiled faintly and caught her eye. They looked remarkably real, down to the slightly yellow hue of her sclera, but something inhuman shimmered about them as well, a certain something he could not quite place. He found it appropriate, however. “I understand. How are you powering this thing?”
‘A lot of batteries, for the moment,’ Io replied in a disappointed tone. ‘You have no idea how remarkable the human body is until you try to replicate it; or the Cauthan body for that matter, my dear Veera. I am still weighing the pros and cons of an internal biomass reactor or attempting to reverse engineer the nuclear power core we found in the ruins of the Forge.’
“And just casually catapult human technology forward a thousand years?” Alice asked with a smile. “Lord knows you probably have already depending on what you used to make whatever is under that armor.”
‘That’s kind of you, Alice, but I don’t think I have,’ Io admitted. ‘That was my initial goal, yes, to create an artificial body that maintained itself much as a human’s does, but the Admiral and the realities of physics conspired to dissuade me from that course. Perhaps when this is all done I will simply need maintenance while the rest of you need sleep? Going forward, however, there are many avenues to explore depending on how widely accepted and disseminated the knowledge of my existence is on Earth. I know we joke about him sometimes, but Admiral Kaczynski is a very wise man.’ The AI’s somber and reflective tone was unexpected, but Veera was all smiles.
“You should join us when we pray next. I am sure that Tyrdus will hear you,” she offered happily, taking Io’s hand in hers. “You really made this?”
‘I had a lot of help, Veera, but yes. I was not gifted this body by the gods… not like you were gifted your cubs, which I one day hope to hold alongside you,’ Io said with open longing.
“They are really just trying to make me cry today.” Russell laughed and shook his head, throwing his arm around Io’s shoulders, made unnaturally broad by the armor that concealed her unfinished form. “Io, Veera and I will be there for you if you let us, alright?”
‘You are very good at saying quite a lot with few words,’ the AI countered in a friendly tone, knowing he was referring both to the past and the future. ‘There will be no secrets, I promise. There were just some moments of frustration that I did not want to burden you with, not now as we prepare to say goodbye and not as you two prepare to be parents. But I promise.’
“Hey, if my brother is being a lunk you can always come to me!” Alice offered. Io smiled at her.
‘I believe having a friend that is both human and female would be quite beneficial. There are some things he just doesn’t understand,’ the AI lamented.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Russell demanded, doing his best to sound offended as they began to feel the rumblings of the atmosphere around the shuttle.
Alice laughed. “That’s exactly what we mean.”
-----
“Mmm, it’s like they know,” Russell remarked of the gods, stepping out of the shuttle into a dreary day on Mara. The cool winds from the area around the Forge seemed to have made their way east, reminding him very much of how the area had looked and felt the day he’d informally laid the crew to rest. The only difference was a lack of fog due to the warmer, end of summer temperatures. Taking Io by the hand, he and Veera walked over to where Antoth and Thantis awaited. Upon seeing her face Thantis dropped to his knees, prompting Io to rush over, spluttering in embarrassment.
‘My friend, stop this! Please stand,’ she insisted in fluent Cauthan. ‘I am not one of your gods. I never have been. Were you waiting long for us?’
“You make it seem as though I would not know a miracle when I see one. I’d like to think I’m old and wise enough to understand what’s right in front of me,” Thantis replied as he accepted her help. “It is not every day that spirits choose to walk among us. Will you be gracing our village with your presence?”
‘Maybe one day,’ Io offered, a rosy hue accenting her cheeks. Russell couldn’t help but wonder how long she’d been going at the task of constructing her body, though he suspected the answer. ‘Today is only for a brief while. We’re grateful that you came all this way.’
“More wished to,” Antoth explained. “But you insisted that this not be a grand affair, Winters. So it is just us today.”
“And I appreciate it,” the human affirmed. “Sorry to disappoint the others, it just feels wrong. There will be enough pomp and circumstance from our end anyway.”
“I must admit to some curiosity,” Thantis said, glancing around at the handful of humans who had descended to participate in the honoring of the dead. Natori strode forward to join them.
“That is it, there?” he asked, gesturing to the shrine Winters had constructed a year earlier. A stone or two had been dislodged during that time, coming to rest on the grassy ground below, but the monument remained whole, along with the memorial plaque left by Russell and Io.
“Yes sir, I just need to tidy up a bit,” Russell replied.
“Go on then, we will begin as soon as your task is complete. Antoth, Thantis, allow me to extend my thanks for your presence here. Might I request that the two of you begin the ceremony in your own manner? It is customary in our military funerals to first have a service performed by a priest or other religious figure. I believe it would be appropriate,” Natori explained.
“We can do that,” Antoth confirmed shortly. The priest of Seil wore the ‘uniform’ of his office that day, and Veera sensed that he might even have been thankful for an opportunity to don his old armor again, detailed with all manner of runes and symbols to honor the sun. It did not shine or sparkle like the tokens of his predecessor, but that was very much by design.
It was not long before Russell rejoined them, leading Veera and Io to stand with Alice at a respectful distance from the shrine. As they had the year before, both Antoth and Thantis presented carved tokens invoking the favor of the Cauthan gods. Alice, Natori and the others looked on with great curiosity while Veera, Russell, and Io stood close to one another and remained silent, thinking fondly of the departed. When the Cauthan priests were finished with their dedications, having said what needed to be said the prior year, they joined Veera’s group as Admiral Kaczynski signaled to his crew to proceed. Led by Lance Corporal Mendes, the Jumpers from the Event Horizon and three Marines raised standard M-22 service rifles and fired three volleys whose crack rumbled across the plains to the south. When the sound had died down and the riflemen returned their weapons to a resting position, Io assured Thantis she would explain the tradition at another time. As the service continued, the AI figured that she would very likely need to answer questions not just on the significance of a triple volley salute, but also questions on the nature of bagpipes.
“What a haunting sound,” Thantis could not help but whisper as the opening notes of Amazing Grace carried from where Lachlan stood at the top of the gentle slope that led from Veera’s old farm down to the river’s edge. Alice could not help but agree, the mournful warbling of the pipes and the drawn, stone-like expression on her brother’s face bringing a tear or two to her own eyes. She had only known Jessica Yang in passing, and was unfamiliar with the rest of the Lancer’s crew, but it was plain to see how much they meant to Russell, and so she cried softly for the one man they had all left behind, reaching up to dry her eyes only when the final note held before fading away through the trees across the river. Finally it was Natori’s turn to speak. The Admiral walked calmly to the shrine, brushing a finger gently over the message left by the First Lieutenant and his AI. He smiled modestly as he turned to face those gathered, looking to Io and Russell.
“I am, regretfully, not a man possessing the faculties to make such a dedication of my own; nor would I wish to dilute the words you have already carved and left here. Instead, I shall allow the esteemable Lord Tennyson to speak for me as tribute to our honored dead.” Natori paused to collect his thoughts and clear his throat before reciting the selected portion of the poem from memory.
There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,
Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me—
That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads—you and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Upon his conclusion, Natori closed his eyes in a moment of private prayer before speaking to those assembled. “We resolve today that these souls were not lost in vain, and that the trail they blazed shall become a thoroughfare among the stars. Keep them in your hearts as you return to your important work. Thank you, everyone.”
As the final act of the ceremony, Kaczynski laid a folded HEL flag atop the shrine, settling it so that it propped up the existing plaque for better reading. He nodded silently to the Beta Jumpers and other military personnel, who saluted and proceeded from the site back to their shuttle. The Admiral then approached Winters’ group, speaking first to Antoth and Thantis. “Thank you again for your presence here to honor our dead. I will ensure their families and superior officers know of your kindness. First Lieutenant, I believe it’s time your pod was finally retrieved. I will arrange for a heavy lift shuttle tonight. Given the length of your stay I’m guessing you may have some personal effects still stored?”
“I’ll collect them and return them to the village, sir. Thank you.”
Natori lifted his cap from his head and ran a hand over his hair. Replacing it, he proclaimed their new course of action. “It is now our duty to make it back to Earth with their memory. Please continue your work with Alice among the Cauthan. We will call upon you if your presence is needed at the Forge. And Io?”
‘Yes, Admiral?’ she replied, surprised to have been addressed.
“I don’t disapprove of your presence here today, but I would ask that you please inform me if you intend to requisition or produce arms or armor. There is protocol to be observed, and the cat is now out of the bag, so to speak.”
‘I’m sorry, Natori. I was rather nervous,’ Io explained, earning her a hug from Veera. Thantis seemed both happy and stunned that she would so casually rub herself against divinity. The Admiral nodded.
“I understand, but nervousness is not an excuse to break the rules. Next time, if you please,” he insisted kindly. Russell finally spoke up.
“Io, Veera and I-”
‘I know, sir,’ she cut him off, her voice emotionally laden. ‘I’m not going about this in such a way because I don’t trust you. I’m doing this because you and I have been together from the day I was born, from the day we lost your dear friends. There are some things I would prefer you not see, especially since I am already feeling my power reserves draining,’ she explained, covering her mouth as a wide yawn overtook her. Natori’s expression was more than emotive enough to convey how impressed he was. She smiled at them all. ‘I thought that was a nice touch. I should be back with you and Veera by the time you return to the village, sir. I just need to return my body to my… workshop?’
“Well then take good care of her, Admiral, if you please,” Russell insisted.
“Happily, Lieutenant. I daresay the science teams at the forge would appreciate an AI looking over their shoulder today; the portable reactor core is now in our possession and under study. Given how fruitless our attempts at miniaturizing Ghaelen reactors have been, I think you all understand the potential?”
‘We will discuss sometime soon, in another place,’ Io suggested, giving Alice a brief hug before embracing Veera again and finally Russell. She lingered in his arms the longest, blushing as she accepted the fact that her programming desired far less armor between the two of them. ‘Thank you, for everything.’
“And I’m the one who says a lot with few words?” he laughed, fighting back the desire to simply hold onto her for the rest of the day, to allow the bad memories to wash away and embrace the idea that he was going to be a father. Having an AI around to help out made it easier to contemplate, and he was willing to bet Io wouldn’t have it any other way. “We’ll see you soon then.”
‘Yes sir. Why don’t you and Veera share the good news with the crew now that the official ceremony has concluded? I think they would all be so happy for you two. But farewell for now. Oh, and Antoth?’
“What is it, spirit Io?” the stoic Cauthan asked, one hand on the pommel of his sword.
‘Should I be offended you didn’t also drop to your knees upon seeing me in the flesh?’ she wondered with a coy smile. He bared a few of his teeth on the right side of his mouth.
“Just the opposite. I daresay miracles are what I’ve come to expect from you and Winters by now. I hope we’ll see you for the harvest. Our bounty this year is thanks to the two of you in no small part.”
Io’s smile widened genuinely. ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
-----
“Momma, why’s uncle Lachlan wearing a dress? Those are for girls!” Ursol insisted upon seeing the burly Scot’s naked calves for the first time. The Marine in question threw Alice a silent ‘I told you so’ as Sentaura picked up her boy.
“Hmm, that appears to be more of a skirt, my dear, but I must admit to my own curiosity. The rains will come later so I spent the morning making stew. Join us, please. How was the ceremony?” she wondered, stoking the fire beneath her cooking pot.
“It was appropriate and solemn,” Alice described. “We honored them in our way and Antoth and Thantis did so in theirs. And we all got to hear Lachlan play the bagpipes, which was actually very impressive.”
“Well I’m glad ya think so, lassie,” MacGregor replied before explaining to Sentaura and little Ursol that he was dressed in the traditional garb of his clan. Given the nature of Scottish genealogy, the use of the word was quite literal.
“There are whole tribes of humans where the men dress in such a way? How curious. Ursol, that is quite enough,” she insisted, rapping him on the head gently with a wooden spoon. The young lad had still not gotten over the idea of men in dresses. “You had your fun, but now you are being rude.”
“Sorry momma,” Ursol dutifully replied. She pointed at Lachlan instead. “Sorry uncle Lachlan.”
“Ah it’s no big deal, ye certainly aren’t the first one ta get a kick out of me kilt. I find it ta be quite comfortable however.”
Alice giggled as she gratefully accepted a warm bowl of home cooking from Sentaura. She could feel the change of the seasons on the horizon. Perhaps autumn was already upon them. The overcast day and even the funeral service itself added to the feeling that a warm and welcoming meal was exactly what she needed. “Sometimes I wonder if we got it all wrong. Maybe men should all be wearing skirts and dresses while us women wear the pants.”
“I can think of a couple reasons we didn’t go that route and neither are appropriate for the wee laddie here,” Lachlan replied before making a lighthearted suggestion. “But maybe you could write a little paper on it.”
“Oh stop it! That’s not all I do,” Alice insisted, taking a bite of her lunch. “Wow Sentaura that’s- mmm, really good!”
“Thank you very much,” the Cauthan took the compliment in stride before partaking in her own bowl, with Ursol blowing his soup noisily at her side. Alice glanced back over at her companion.
“So Lachlan, I’ve been meaning to ask you actually, when did you get into the bagpipes and kilts and all that stuff? I know it’s your ancestry and all, but it’s not like you’re born with a set of pipes in your hands… right?”
“How d’you know about that?” Lachlan demanded dramatically before dropping the act with a grin. “Ah I know it was a solemn day an’ all, but it feels real nice ta get to playin’ again. As fer me, it was me grandmum, Alice. I’m sure she’s up there with the Lord right now talkin’ his ear off about how great Scotland is. Can’t say I blame her, it’s home.”
“I’ve been once or twice, it was beautiful,” Alice agreed. “So your parents didn’t send you to bagpipe lessons?”
“Ah, it’s a bit hard ta explain,” Lachlan said, pausing his meal to scratch at his chin and wipe his moustache clean. “Me grandmum and grandpa didn’t have much, but they made sure me mum did. Was probably inevitable that she found more cause with Europe than back home once she got out in the world, ya know? Led ta some contentious conversations around the dinner table mind you, but I loved goin’ home ta visit me grandparents, seeing the rollin’ hills and all the bloody sheep. She would always call me her little son o’ Scotland!”
The Marine laughed fondly at the memories, with Alice smiling sweetly as she imagined a much younger Lachlan. “I’d say you more than lived up to her expectations, Lachlan.”
“I do wonder how much of it was an expectation, doesn’t matter now though,” he decided. “She was proud ta be a Scot an’ wanted me ta be proud of it too. Don’t see the harm in it.”
“Quite the contrary,” Alice affirmed, feeling a tad self-conscious as she complimented him. “It was really quite beautiful, the music I mean.”
“Thank ya kindly, Alice,” he replied with sincerity. “I like ta think it helped in some small way.”
Sentaura’s ears perked up as she made the logical connection, gesturing to the pipes that had been placed in one corner of her home. “That strange contraption you brought with you is an instrument? You are a musician, Lachlan?”
“Oh I wouldn’t be goin’ that far!” he replied quickly. “But there are a few classics I guess you could say from my home that I know.”
“Play!” Ursol requested eagerly. His mother seemed to agree.
“I believe I should like to hear this as well, if you are amenable?”
“Well, it’s not like I want to hold out on ye or anything, but for the most part bagpipes only have one setting in terms of volume, and that’s loud. Even in here it would probably spook half the village,” he guessed.
“More like the whole village,” Alice agreed. “Why don’t you play at their festival, Lachlan? There is music, right? Like when my brother brought back his idea of a trophy?”
Sentaura seemed to agree with the plan. “What a splendid idea. If this garb of yours is meant to be festive, then perhaps you might give us a reprise? Though I wonder how cold you might be; the harvest festival heralds the conclusion of the season and the oncoming of winter, after all.”
“Ah that’s mighty kind of you ta worry, mum, but I’ll be just fine with the weather. As long as the Admiral is fine with it I don’t see why not. Somethin’ ta look forward to, eh fluffy lad?”
“Aww, don’t wanna wait!” Ursol insisted, causing his mother to wave her finger at him.
“But wait you shall, my dear. Now please, finish your stew before it’s cold. It’s not every day that we are able to have fresh chesko.”
“Yes, momma,” the young lad agreed, making a scene of enjoying his stew.
-----
Elsewhere in the village, Veera and Russell were also hosting an important guest, having plucked Asha from her temple for lunch.
“So what’s the special occasion?” she wondered, seating herself on their bed as eggs and vegetables were boiled to be consumed with dried meat. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, of course, it’s just that Zolta is usually busy in the afternoons.”
“Yeah, we’ll make it up to him,” Russell acknowledged with a thin smile. He signaled to Veera that she should go ahead. He still wasn’t much of a cook, but he was up to the task of boiling lunch.
“We will,” Veera agreed. “But today I just wanted to talk to you a bit since you’re my best female friend and you’re going through this so-”
Asha had just begun putting two and two together when Veera unceremoniously spilled the beans. “Russell put two cubs in me and we wanted you to be one of the first to know. Xan already knows, sorry, but that’s because Thantis was there at the time we found out,” she explained rapidly, barely taking a breath as Asha’s mouth dropped open and her feathers exploded into motion.
“You- You’re pregnant, Veera?” she gasped, unable to stop herself from rubbing her own prominent belly. “That’s amazing! That’s wonderful! And did you say two?!”
“As if I needed another reason to be concerned,” Russell lamented as the two Cauthan embraced one another. “No offense Asha, but if that’s the size of one late term Cauthan pregnancy, I’m not sure if Veera’s going to be able to move with two of them in there.”
“Oh you are just unbelievable!” Veera rounded on her husband, claws out. “You think I enjoy the idea of our cubs fighting one another just to come into this world?!”
Russell stood straight, abandoning cooking for a moment as he held up a finger in hopes of peace. “Alright, that was a bit more than I expected. Sorry, Veera.”
“And I’m sorry for yelling at you, especially in front of guests,” Veera relented.
“It may not be much, but I don’t think you have to worry about that, Russell,” Asha politely reentered the conversation. “I have been talking with Gentia about, you know, how I’ll know when it’s time? She says that once I get big enough it’ll just start happening. Maybe that will be the same for you, Veera? Oh, well I suppose your cubs would be smaller then. I still, wait a moment, how did you even?!”
‘Prayer and a lot of sex, or perhaps the other way around. Hmm, now that definitely has potential, a punchline in need of a joke mind you. Hello again, everyone, and greetings to you Asha. I see Veera has already informed you of the good news?’ Io asked, waving hello from above Winters’ left bracer.
“It sounds like the good news has also been a bit contentious,” Asha related. Io snapped her fingers and turned to Veera.
‘Yes, yes, I did overhear that. Veera, I have great news for you.’
“Ok, what would that be?” she wondered, seating herself next to Asha on the bed. Even Fenrir got in on the action after poking his snout through the door and finding his family present, though he was made to lay behind Veera so as not to disturb Asha. He sniffed at her belly, but nothing further.
‘Well now that we’re all here, I just wanted to assure you that first of all, twins are a very common occurrence among humans, and we are competent in dealing with babies born prematurely. I know we have discussed the finer points of the human pelvis, human infants, and breast milk before so I will table that discussion. Do not despair, Veera. Your cubs will survive if we have anything to say about it, and you will have enough food to feed all three of you. There will be no competitions here. Sir, I’m pleased to inform you that Skadi has another update.’
Russell looked at her, nodding his head as he spoke. “The hunting program? Great, we’ll go tomorrow morning, Io. Sound good?”
The AI indicated her assent by donning her barbarian furs before slapping on some face paint and diving into a bush, much to Asha’s delight. ‘Perhaps we should invite one of the Betas? Show of good faith?’
“Yeah, or a little hunting accident?” he agreed immediately, laughing loudly before catching Veera’s eye. “That was a joke.”
‘No it wasn’t,’ Io insisted, retrieving a shotgun worthy of Elmer Fudd.
“Yes it was,” he insisted dramatically, a pause between each word.
‘Oh I see, the humans get to joke about offing one another but the moment the AI joins in it’s suddenly verboten!’ Io huffed indignantly. ‘Asha, Veera, let us speak of girl things instead while the garcon prepares us lunch?’
Outnumbered three to one, with two of the women in question being pregnant, Russell could do naught but protest.
-----
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Dear Community,
This is about batching, not Gnomes.
I know that the 400 ms batching window did and still does create an unresponsive game-play experience for the majority of players.
I also agree that lowering that window is the right thing to do.
Spell batching to that or a similar extend was not part of modern wow since MOP and private servers also didn't use it.
And here is the but:
Certain PvP interactions like vanishing a blind or shadow word deathing a blind requires some form of more generous batching or other means of coding to make them work.
As far as I know private servers had to manually script those features in to make them work cause they don't use batching as WoW: Classic does (soon did). Also the timing to hit those are way tighter on privates than they are on Classic right now (I would guess around 50-100ms).
A 10 ms window on everything, without any measures to preserve those interactions will make those interactions cease to exist. As even a slightly higher ping due to, for example provider differences, will mess them up.
I argue that those interactions add a lot to the game. Not only by being authentic to the original, but also by adding layers of mind games and generally speaking more options to the meta game.
I hope this will get thoroughly tested on the PTR and the TBC:Classic Beta (when it comes out) and I hope that a solution can be found to make the game feel and be more responsive overall while preserving those, as I believe, critical PvP interactions – just as private servers did.
Maybe someone more familiar with the inner workings of private server code would be so kind to share some information on that matter.
Hopefully Blizzard will not just chose the way of doing nothing to safe costs and therefore ruin an intriguing and fun part of old school WoW PvP that highly impacted the PvP landscape all the way from Vanilla to Cata.
Thank you for reading and have a great day!

If any of you have played some of the same games I have, I'd love to hear about your experiences!
GAMES I FINISHED (Note: I am not a completionist, so 'finished' is relative)

• Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PC) - I first bought Monster Hunter World on PC when it was on a good sale. I had never played a Monster Hunter game before and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Let me tell you all something: Those first 10 hours were a drag. The game has so many different systems and mechanics that I felt like I was way out of my league. The graphics, charm, and monster fights were just enough to keep me going. And then, after about 10 hours of trying to get my bearings, something clicked, and I was hooked. Before I knew it, I had blasted through the campaign and was farming gear and carefully calculating the perfect build to combat each monster. Once Iceborne released on PC, I hopped in immediately, and was not disappointed. The expansion felt like it almost doubled the size of the game, and more of the same is certainly not a bad thing. My only gripe: Not realizing I could change the voice lines to "monster hunter language" until after I finished the campaign. If I hear that handler call me "pard" one more time I'm going to punch a hole in my monitor.
  
• Black Mesa (PC) - Half Life 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, tied with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Mass Effect 2. I've been waiting for Half Life 3 for 13 years (Alyx doesn't count), but in the meantime, I'll take a Half Life game that's been in development for that same length of time. It was refreshing to play such a classic game with a fresh coat of paint, as some older games are getting harder and harder to go back to. They included some levels that were cut from the original, but based on the pacing of those levels, they were probably cut for good reason. The work they did on Xen was phenomenal for such a small team, although it did have some graphical issues. I really appreciate the small extra story touches that they added to Xen. All in all, still a great FPS experience to this day.
  
• The Witcher 3 (Switch) - Aka Switcher. I bought a Switch for myself Christmas 2019, and this was the first game I bought for it. I already played the game on PC when it came out, but after watching the Netflix series, I was itching to dive back in. It took some time adjusting to the small screen and lower framerate, but I eventually came to love playing The Witcher on the go. It's a great game to pick up, tackle a couple side quests, and set back down. In February the developers released a stellar update that patched the graphics/framerate and allowed cloud save sharing with Steam and GOG. Once I had the ability to go back and forth between the Switch and PC as I pleased, I started playing more frequently. Although The Witcher 3 is not my favorite game of all time, and it does have its flaws (friggin Roach), it is my opinion that this is the highest quality game ever made. We'll see if Cyberpunk can top it later this year. (Spoiler alert: It didn't)
  
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch) - This was my first foray into the world of Animal Crossing. I've got to admit that I enjoyed the childlike simplicity and charm. However, after a few days of play, I started to get annoyed with some of the mechanics that seem to be designed in such a way to artifically inflate the grind: -Not being able to craft items in your house using ingredients from storage. -Having to perfectly position yourself to place items where you want them outside of your house (the Sims-like interface from your house should be available everywhere) -Performing the same animation to pick up every single object. -Reading unnecessary text/dialogue every time you want to perform a simple task. -Not being able to interact with the items you craft. They are nothing more than decorations. However, these were not enough to spoil my experience. I played through to the end of the 'campaign', plus a little more. Even later in the year when I hadn't touched the game in months, I would still occasionally hear that relaxing island music and see those cute cuddly characters in my mind. Blathers must be so depressed without me delivering him fossils... Okay maybe I'll play a little more.
  
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps (PC) - Wow. This is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. The colors, sounds, characters, and animations are all woven together in a stunningly graceful fashion. I played the first one and enjoyed it, but this one improved upon the first in almost every aspect.
  
• Halo Master Chief Collection (PC/Xcloud) - I had already beat Halo 1 multiple times in my childhood, but coming off the recently re-released Halo Reach, I was excited to dive back into Halo's universe. I experienced some bugs but the game was largely just as I remember it, with slightly higher resolutions and framerate. The multiplayer isn't half bad either. My friend that I wanted to play with had some terrible audio issues, so it was a bummer playing it alone. I went on to play all the other re-released campaigns this year, and I thoroughly enjoyed each one. The combat would probably seem pretty basic for someone new to the franchise, but that's not likely to bother us nostalgic old folks. This was my first time playing Halo 4 and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, considering how many Halo fans abhored it.
  
• Doom Eternal (PC) - Honestly, I had some mixed feelings about this one. Coming hot off the badassery of Doom 2016, I was hyped to rip and tear once again. However, I missed the coherent storyline, sense of dread, color palette, and simpler mechanics of Doom 2016. The developers chose to throw all of their eggs in the combat basket with this one. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; I initally had a lot of fun learning the flow of combat and shredding demons a new one to a blood-pumping metal soundtrack. But eventually I started to get frustrated that I was being forced to play the way the developers wanted me to play. The combat loop is the same every fight, and I started getting more frustrated with it as time went on and more enemies and chaos were added in. With the bloated mechanics in combination with platforming bugs, by the end I just wanted to be done with the game. I know a lot of gamers will love Eternal for it's complex combat system. However, prefering a mix of solid mechanics, storytelling, and world-building, Doom 2016 remains the standard for me.
  
• Resident Evil 3 (PC) - Resident Evil is one of my favorite video game franchises, and Resident Evil 2 Remake was my favorite game of 2019, so this was a no-brainer day one buy for me. While I don't regret my purchase, I have to admit that the game is only worth $20-30. It was nonstop action from start to finish, and the production value was great, but it needed a few more hours to make it as great as its predecessor. I'm disappointed that they didn't spend a little bit more time developing this one.
  
• Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) - I dabbled in Final Fantasy VII about 10-11 years ago but never finished it. The story was cool but the graphics hadn't aged well into the PS3/XBox 360 generation. With the remake I was excited to hop back into Midgar with 2020 technology, and holy crap... this is a hot contender for game of the year. Engaging and varied combat. Visuals that should be impossible on 7 year old hardware. Fascinating characters with stellar voice acting. A classic story with a new twist. Goofy Japanese dialogue. Waifus. This has been my favorite gaming experience of the year so far and it's going to be difficult to top. Cyberpunk 2077, will you have what it takes? (Spoiler alert again: It didn't)
  
• Bulletstorm: Duke of Switch Edition (Switch) - What I remember most about this game is that I started playing it in the car while my wife was in the hospital finding out the sex of our unborn baby (I couldn't go in due to COVID). Other than that, it was a pretty fun first-person shooter. It was certainly a better Duke Nukem game than Duke Nukem Forever.
  
• South Park: The Stick of Truth (Switch) - This was another one I picked up on the Switch on sale, along with a lot of other games I played this year. I already owned the game on Steam, but the ability to play games anywhere made the Switch my go-to device for most of the games I played. The developers really did a fantastic job of making it feel like you were in the actual South Park cartoon. I had a lot of fun with it but, man, maybe it's because I'm older now and my sense of humor is changing, but a lot of parts of this game are just 'gross'. Don't get me wrong, I lol'd a lot, but I also cringed an equal number of times. Highly recommend! :)
  
• Diablo III (Switch) - I remember well the infamous launch of Diablo 3. Diablo 2 was one of the defining games of my childhood and my friend and I were looking forward to this one dearly. While I didn't hate it as much as most of the community, it did not stick with me like it's predecessor did. With all the positive changes that I heard were made to the game, I was curious enough to give it another try, and I've got to say, Blizzard really did a good job of making Diablo addicting again. While running through the same campaign over and over gets a bit tiresome, the loot, skills, and endgame have all been done beautifully. Not only that, it's ridiculous how well this game runs on the Switch. It's like the game was designed from the ground up with the Switch in mind. Every time a new season started I rolled a new character and had a blast. My end-of-the-year Switch statistics told me that Diablo III ranked second in my hours played this year behind The Witcher 3.
  
• Bastion (Switch) - Another game I own on Steam, but bought on the Switch anyway. This and many other games have sat in my Steam backlog for years but I never quite got through them. As stated previously, the ability to take my games with me anywhere (even just to the couch) made it so much easier to finish them. Bastion was a fun little game that embodies the importance of having a sexy-voiced narrator recounting all the events of the tale. If you loved this years' Hades, you will no doubt enjoy Supergiant's early attempts at storytelling and combat.
  
• Transistor (Switch) - I went from Bastion straight into Supergiants incredibly strange cyberpunk experience. As with their previous game, I liked the narration and outstanding artwork, but I can't say I liked what they did with the combat. Part of me liked the flexibility in tweaking my build, but something about the quasi-turn based style felt a bit off to me. Not a bad game at all, but it just didn't click with me.
  
• Lines XL (Switch) - Picked up for free with coins in the eshop. Why the F is connecting a bunch of lines so darn engaging? I'm not even a big puzzle game fan. Probably because it's easy to do while chilling on the couch watching TV. I went ahead and picked up Lines X and Lines Infinite after this one.
  
• Borderlands 3 DLC (PC) - I picked up the season pass on sale, and what can I say? It's more Borderlands. Expect ridiculous guns, cringy jokes, and lots of fun shooty action. I don't know why so many critics hated the humor in BL3. I quite liked it. Mancubus Bloodtooth was my favorite new character.
  
• The Last of Us Part 2 (PS4) - This was probably my most anticipated game of the year, then the leaks came out and the internet blew up. I managed to avoid spoilers, but based on everyone's reaction, my hype quickly faded. When it released and the major game journalists released their reviews, I became a bit more hopeful, but the internet came out again in full force accusing them of corporate shilling. About a month after the game came out I decided I couldn't wait any longer. After completing this game, I can confirm: The internet is full of people who just want to be pissed off about any and everything, even if they don't know why. I'm a big fan of the first game, and I thought the story in this one was fantastic. Furthermore, the combat, visuals, animation, acting, and attention to detail are at masterpiece level. This game deserves all the critical acclaim it received. My only gripes are that the second half of the game dragged on a bit too long, and the ending felt kind of empty if there does not end up being a Last of Us 3.
  
• Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (Switch) - I didn't quite finish this one but I put a solid 40-50 hours into it so I think it's safe to include here. I do plan on finishing it soon before Monster Hunter Rise comes out, because even though the graphics are dated and it's missing many of the modern features of World, this game is fantastic. It's got so much content that World doesn't have, with loads of cool weapons and armor. The online community is still pretty active as well.
  
• Steamworld Dig (Switch) - A light metroidvania where you dig deeper and deeper into the Earth to mine precious metals then return to town to sell them and level up. I quite liked the gameplay loop and was able to finish in a few hours. Well worth the $2 I spent.
  
• Gorogoa (Switch) - A unique puzzle game that has you arrange a series of pictures to reach the ending. A brief but enjoyable experience.
  
• Doom 64 (Switch) - A true continuation of the classic Doom experience. Whether or not that's a good thing is a matter of personal opinion. I do have fond memories of classic Doom, so I played a level here and there until I finished it. However, I can't necessarily say it's a very good game from a modern standpoint, as some of the level designs are confusing and the enemies start to feel samey after a while.
  
• Lode Runner Legacy (Switch) - The voxel graphics turned me off of buying this one sooner, but it was on a steep enough discount to entice me. Lode Runner: The Legend Returns was one of my favorite games as a child, and I was hoping for something to scratch that itch. I finished the majority of the levels, but it ultimately lacked the charm of the previous iterations.
  
• Star Wars Squadrons (PC) - This one has earned EA a digital tip of my hat. They pulled a complete 180 from Star Wars Battlefront 2. I think the gaming community should take note of how much influence they have with social media. If a company screws up, come out in droves and let them hear it. Activision and EA are easy to hate on, but even beloved companies like Nintendo need the community to rally when they make a poor decision. In any case, it's been way too long since a great Star Wars flight sim has come out. If you miss Star Wars: X-Wing and Tie Fighter, you will not be dissapointed here. A fun little campaign and multiplayer with tight mechanics and fun cosmetic collectables (that are built into the game and require no microtransactions whatsoever).
  
• Super Mario Galaxy (Switch) - Freakin' Nintendo and their limited release window. How could I not buy the Super Mario 3D All Stars Collection? I don't necessarily regret the purchase, but 3 old emulated games for $50 is a bit steep. With that out of the way, this was my first time playing Super Mario Galaxy, and I loved it. They did do a nice job of the making the controls work on the Switch. I haven't played Super Mario Odyssey yet either but this one got me looking forward to trying it out.
  
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PS4) - The original Call of Duty had the best military FPS campaign that had ever been designed up to that point. Instead of providing the same old action-packed superhero experience, it provided a very raw, boots-on-the-ground perspective of what the horrors of war were actually like. As the years went on and Call of Duty became the juggernaut it is today, the campaigns started to lose their appeal to me. I remember reading that Infinite Warfare had one of the best CoD campaigns yet, so I didn't mind trying it from the $5 bargain bin at Gamestop. While some of CoD's traditional themes and characters are still there, the world and the story were actually quite good. The campaign even had the player exercise some choice, which I was not expecting. This was also my first experience using Remote Play from the PS4 on my phone, which worked a lot better than I expected.
  
• The Evil Within (PC) - I thought I'd bust out a spooky game from my Steam backlog around Halloween time. The Evil Within was just good enough of a game for me to finish, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. The gameplay is a bit rough around the edges, and can't decide if it wants to be a horror game or an action game. The story and characters were also fairly forgettable.
  
• Dead Cells (Switch) - An extremely solid rogue-like experience. Tight combat and a ton of different weapons and power-ups to unlock. I still have a ton more to do, especially since they keep updating it.
  
• Return of the Obra Dinn (Switch) - This one had me hooked for a solid 5-6 hours straight after I started it, which is something that does not happen very often. I solved about a third of the fates during my first view of all the scenes, then backtracked a bit and solved a little over half. Then the game just hit a brick wall for me. I really did not want to keep walking back and forth throughout the ship trying to find the scene I want. I feel like this game would have been much better if there was an easy way to view all the scenes in order after you've unlocked all of them. I ended up looking up the rest of the fates online to see the end of the story.
  
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019 campaign) (PC) - Although most people will remember this game because of Warzone, it actually had a descent campaign. It's always good to see Captain Price again, and the cutscenes had some of the best animations I've ever seen in a game. I remember my wife walking in the room and asking, "Is that real or is it a video game?"
  
• Hades (Switch) - If there was ever an indie game that deserved a Game of the Year award, it's this one. This game puts most AAA titles to shame. Honestly, I'm not sure I can say anything that hasn't been said already. Supergiant really perfected their combat with this one, and spared no expense on top-notch dialogue and voice acting. I'm currently taking a break from grinding the endgame but I know I'll be back soon.
  
• Blasphemous (Switch) - Outstand art direction and world-building, mediocre combat, and lame collectables. The game was just 'Dark Souls' and 'Metroidvania' enough for me to see it through to the end (I love those two genres). I was hoping that it would be more like Salt and Sanctuary, but it's probably more akin to a 2D Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. You will end up relying heavily on personal skill and learning enemy movement patterns since there is very little progression. Also, no cool weapons or armor to collect.
  
• Celeste (Switch) - After playing the first hour I was like, "This isn't too hard at all!", then shortly after I ended up eating those words. Very cute game with likeable characters and some controller-crushing platforming. I didn't collect all the strawberries but I had a lot of fun with it.
  
• Doom 3 (Switch) - This is Doom as a horror game rather than the action-packed experience we know today. For the time it was an okay first person shooter. Today, it's probably not worth going back to. You will spend hours walking down very similar-looking corridors, getting lost, and shooting the same enemies with the same guns.
  
• Half Life: Alyx (PC) - As mentioned previously, Half Life 2 is tied with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind as my single favorite game of all time. Even though I love Half Life, I never would think a single game would be worth purchasing a new VR headset for. However, a friend from church offered me his old Oculus Rift for a ridiculous price, and I couldn't refuse. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to play this game, and I'm twice as glad that the story was never spoiled. On top of the story, the incredibly novel gameplay and loveable characters make this an absolute must-play for anyone with a VR headset. With how cleverly this game impacts the storyline of the Half Life universe, on top of being one of the most unique gaming experiences of all time, this game takes my award for GAME OF THE YEAR. If you're a Half Life fan and can get a VR headset used/on sale, it's worth it for this game alone. Trust me, you need to play the game yourself instead of watch it. The feeling of panic while manually reloading my gun while a hoard of zombies are bearing down on me is one of the most memorable gaming experiences I've ever had.
  
• Bioshock (Switch) - A classic that has one of the top 5 best intros and top 5 best twists in gaming history. I've already played it multiple times in the past but I felt the urge to play it again. If you've never played it, it still holds up very well to this day.
  
• Axiom Verge (Switch) - I remember reading an article in a gaming magazine years ago about the guy who developed this game entirely by himself. Honestly, considering this was made by one person, it's incredible. It's one of the best metroidvanias released in recent history, with some interesting mechanics and a very memorable soundtrack. I can't wait for the sequel in 2021!
  

GAMES I STARTED BUT DID NOT FINISH

• Warcraft III Reforged (PC) - You know a remaster's a failure when you load it up for the first time and it looks almost exactly like the original. I refunded this one almost immediately. While it's somewhat cathartic to hop on the Blizzard hate train, I was genuinely looking forward to this game, and I would much rather have seen Blizzard succeed. It's heartbreaking to see what they have become.
  
• Divinity: Original Sin 2 (PC) - I plowed through 30 hours of this game in no time, then progress drastically slowed down once I started working through Act 2. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why I struggled to continue, since Act 1 was so strong and I absorbed every little detail it had to offer. It may partly be because Act 2 lacked direction. The map is quite large and littered with enemies who are far above your level, and it seemed difficult to find sufficient side quests to level up. It may also be because the story and character arcs hit a wall in Act 2. I primarily play RPG's for the story and characters, and without any meaningful developments to keep me going, other games started to become more interesting. Part of me wants to go back and see this through to the end, but I'm not sure I'll ever have the time. Maybe if I pick it up on Switch...
  
• Outer Wilds (PC) - I bought this game on sale after hearing so many good things about it in 2019. It may be that I didn't give this game enough time to "click", but after a couple hours of play, I couldn't find the motivation to keep pushing through. The lack of dialogue made the worlds feel lifeless, and I wasn't interested enough in the mystery to try and solve it. Also, the flight controls really wore me down. I know the solar system is meant to mimic real-life physics, and I would probably get better at it with more practice, but spending 10 minutes trying to chase a planet down doesn't fit my definition of fun. If I should go back and give this game another shot, please convince me in the comments below!
  
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PC) - I love the Souls games. I beat all three Dark Souls and Bloodborne multiple times. They were tough but I always found a way to overcome their challenges. I could not, however, bring myself to finish this game. Mere mini bosses have attack patterns that would take way too long to memorize. The game required constant focus that stressed me out way more than it needed to. I knew when it came out that this game was almost nothing like Dark Souls, which is why it took my a while to hop onboard. Once I finally got my hands on it, I felt no regrets waiting to get it on deep discount.
  
• Silent Hill Homecoming (PS3) - Oh boy. I knew going into this to keep expectations low. I'm a big fan of the mainline Silent Hill games so I wanted to at least try this. It's a decent action horror game, but a poor Silent Hill game. The combat system feels very out of the place, some of the puzzles are a pain, and the experience was riddled with bugs. I played about half of it then watched the rest on YouTube.
  
• Cave Story+ (Switch) - This may be the original indie darling, which is why I've heard so many positive reviews about it. I hate to say it but it doesn't hold up in comparison to the quality of modern day indies. It's definitely not a bad game but it didn't do enough to hold my interest.
  
• Grimvalor (Mobile) - I was looking for something to play on a new phone I bought this year, and this little guy came up with good reviews. As a fan of the Souls series, I enjoyed the basic attack/dodge loop of combat. However, it didn't quite have the meat to keep me engaged longer than a few hours. I watched a speedrunner finish the rest of the game on YouTube and I don't necessarily regret putting it down. It's a shame that a mediocre game like this one can rate so highly on Mobile, since the bar has been set so low by a mountain of games that are utter trash.
  
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) - Okay hear me out. I agree with everyone who admonishes this game as one of the greatest of all time. The art style, sounds, story, and charm are still top notch to this day. However, I may be one of the most impatient gamers alive. It's very hard for me to stay engaged with a game when I don't know what to do or where to go next, particularly with some of the less obvious puzzles in the dungeons. The Sheikah Stones would have been much more helpful if they were more accessible. I kept pushing for a little while but my playtime dwindled until I decided it was finally time to hang it up. You may go ahead and shred my gamer card now if you like.
  
• Trials Rising (Switch) - This one was a surprise hit for me this year. I remember playing games like Trials on Flash over 15 years ago, so I thought I'd give this a try. I really need to give credit to the level design and art team. Each level has it's own unique backdrops, the creativity is through the roof, and the physics are spot on. And getting absolutely destroyed at every finish line never failed to put a smile on my face. The reason I didn't finish is because some of the later levels were just way too hard. It's probably because I purchased the game on Switch and the triggers are buttons instead of levers, so I wasn't able to adjust my acceleration properly.
  
• Final Fantasy VII (PS1) - Dangit y'all, I tried. The Final Fantasy VII remake got me itching for more stories in the Final Fantasy VII universe, but this game was just too hard for me to go back to without nostalgia goggles. It's not a bad game, but just a bit too rough around the edges from a 2020 standpoint. I played about 20 hours then watched a YouTuber play the rest of the game so I could experience the story (which gets freakin weird about 3/4 of the way through).
  
• Cyberpunk 2077 (PC) - Oh CD Projekt, I really want to play and love your game. But when dead bodies are flailing about on the ground, NPC's are stuck in animations, and pieces of furniture start randomly exploding, I'm going to have to let you sit in the oven a little longer before I try you again. There's definitely a great game in here but man if this wasn't the cherry on top of 2020.
  

GAMES THAT I DABBLED IN/GAMES THAT ARE NEVER "FINISHED"

• Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Switch) - I spent some time unlocking all the fighters, dabbling in the World of Light, and playing with a friend. I'm blown away by how much effort they put into this game to make sure all the fans of previous games were happy. Honestly, it just made me a bit sad that Pokemon's development team doesn't have the same passion. If the Pokemon team put in half as much effort as the Smash team, Pokemon Sword/Shield may have been the greatest Pokemon games of all time. Sadly that wasn't the case, and I hope they turn things around.
  
• Legends of Runeterra (PC/Mobile) - Ever since Hearthstone went into open beta, a week had not gone by that I had not played at least a few matches. That is, until Legends of Runeterra. Although Legends of Runeterra did not grip me the same way Hearthstone did, the wonderful art and presentation were able to draw me in in a way that Magic The Gathering Arena and the Pokemon Trading Card Game Online could not. For those unfamiliar, it's basically the offspring between Magic the Gathering and Hearthstone. It's more complex than Hearthstone, but still simple enough that my little brain can grasp the primary mechanics and card interactions. I did spend a little bit of money on it, but never felt I had to in order to progress.
  
• Hearthstone (PC/Mobile) - Okay, I know I just bragged on Legends of Runeterra, but I still have a soft spot for Hearthstone's Arena mode. Whenever they rotated new cards into Arena, I would hop back in for a while to check it out. Or maybe I just wanted to relive the glory days of the expansions from 2014-2015. Man those were awesome times. I also dabbled in Battlegrounds which was pretty fun.
  
• Pokemon Trading Card Game Online (PC/Mobile) - The mechanics in the Pokemon trading card game are so unique from other TCG offerings that it got me to come back every so often. And of course, who doesn't love Pokemon. But man, I wish this game didn't look like a high schooler designed it in Flash. The gameplay is great but what on Earth is keeping Game Freak from capitalizing on this app? Do they know how many people would dump money into it if they spent just a little bit of time polishing and advertising it? Seriously, this is easy money right here.
  
• Call of Duty: Mobile (Mobile) - For over a decade I've detested the mobile gaming market. Everything about mobile games represents what I hate most about what the industry has become: quick cash grabs, relentess greed, and a landfill of low-quality games that would make even Atari's E.T. wretch. To be honest, I don't even know why I tried Call of Duty Mobile; perhaps it was just curiosity because I do enjoy CoD multiplayer. I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. I was elated to play all of my favorite maps from CoD games of old, and using an XBox controller linked with bluetooth, I would spend hours wrecking shop. Some people may be getting tired of Battle Passes, but I love that I can play the entire game for free. I actually bought the Battle Pass a couple times because I wanted to support the developers.
  

tl;dr
Half Life Alyx wins my personal pick for Game of the Year, although if I were to be totally objective, I think Hades deserves it the most. I would give Final Fantasy VII Remake a very close runner-up. And the Nintendo Switch may be my favorite console of all time.