Happy Arbor Day to all! All told, I received more than 30 excellent submissions! Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their Trees! Now go hug a tree in celebration of Arbor Day! Click on the thumbnails below to open the full-sized submissions!

Andrige wants YOU (“you” being Blizzard) to update Druids in Wrath of the Lich King so that we aren’t relegated to gaping-mouthed, googly-eyed kitty cats; low polygoned, big bottomed bears; slightly ridiculous-looking space chickens; or stalks of rotten broccoli. Otherwise, many players are likely to continue improvisation via the gorgeous skins Andrige has created and shared.

In his second submission, Andrige shares a scene straight out of another epic tale with oversized Ents taking down a “horde” of bad guys! Is that a ginger-haired hobbit I see tucked in the boughs of that Ancient?

Decked out in nearly a full set of PvP gear, Awarthu of Lothar (US) takes a break from Alterac Valley (no doubt avoiding any action that would result in the death of his Night Elf Druid brethren) to lend a helping tree branch to the Shattered Sun Offensive on Quel’Danas.

The above three snapshots were sent in by Bellwether of Dark Iron (US), author of 4 Haelz! I don’t even want to consider what’s being done to her poor Tree of Life in the first picture. Maybe that’s where Trees who let their triple Lifebloom stacks expire go when they die. The second image is a much happier one. Maybe that’s where Trees who keep Thorns on their tanks, remove poisons promptly, and share their Innervate with Mr. Phae swap their weapons during Innervate go when they die. The third picture is leaked from the Friends and Family Alpha and depicts one of the new Shaman abilities: Tree of Life Totem.

Brinden of Kalecgos (US) takes a break from beating evil Hordies to a pulp with his leafy branches to scold an unfortunate lumberjack for his conceit at trying to harvest wood. One would think that the fact that said tree flourishes on one of the floating islands in Nagrand would have been sufficient deterrent!

Eglador of Forscherliga (EU) sent in one of the few raid-based sets of images, the above three of his guild Liga Aventurica making attempts at Lady Vashj! The second tree shown is his raidmate, Kyría from another guild, Caballus Ridare.

Eranthe of Zul’jin (US) takes a moment to wave at the camera before engaging Teron Gorefiend in BT. Ermengol of Shadowsong (EU) shows us how to build a bonfire … out of Gold Spammers!

Gidget of Bloodhoof (US) waves from atop her weekly Flintweed Seed and Wild Quillvine fund and shows us what happens when a [Basic Campfire] building attempt goes seriously awry!

This pair of pictures was sent in by Jivethelle of Kul’Tiras (US). The first picture is a good example of Tree form’s terrible dental work. We can only assume she’s cooking some sugar-coated, chocolate-dipped honeycomb in the second, which would perhaps explain the state of her teeth.

“I managed to snap this picture of me and the other Trees of Life in Darnassus.  I’m the one with the Green Winter Hat and the Enormous Barbed Gill Trout in my off-hand.  Though looking again, I’m not even sure I’m in the picture.” — Korryna of Scarlet Crusade (US)

Leafshine of Steamwheedle Cartel (EU), author of the self-entitled blog, Leafshine.net is something of a music lover. While not quite as distracted by silver bells as her cousin Miss Leafrunner, who can be found in Feralas, Leaf does like a good tinkle. However, by far her favorite instrument is the gong, and her guildmates have persuaded her that the best gong in Azeroth can be found in Zul’Aman. Sadly, practicing on this fine instrument involves donning her best leather gear, and keeping nine of her closest friends alive while they discuss different musical paradigms with some forest trolls, and this big guy with the temerity to turn into a bear without being a Druid.

Lunarblossom of Lightbringer (US), author of A Druid’s Journey, cleans up after a long night of raiding with her guildmates in “Go Big or Go Gnome” by giving herself a refreshing rain shower of Tranquility in a Moonwell in Moonglade.

Mharai shifted uncomfortably, leaves rustling, bark creaking.  How did they know!? Every time, just as she was setting herself up for a picture BAM there was a Sentinel running after her, brandishing a couple of their wicked three-pointed… pointy things.  Running in this damned floral form was not an easy job, either! All she had wanted was a nice snapshot of herself next to the famous Darnassian tree but despite the friendly nature of their druids, apparently Tauren were not welcome in the new Night Elf homeland. Argh! here came another one.  With a sigh she lolloped forward, running again from the unfriendly Darnassians and giving up hope of a pretty picture. Mharai of Sporeggar (EU) belongs to the adorable roguish author of /hug!

Muffinator of Aman’Thul (US) sent this submission in a little past deadline but it was so amazing I made a special effort to post it anyway! Wow! After a long day of questing, Myna of Terrodar (EU) plays “Meanest Tree” with Mosswood the Ancient in Blade’s Edge Mountains.

Nebelmond of Die Silberne Hand (EU) is the envy of fishermen (and fisherwomen) everywhere with his stylish [Weather-Beaten Fishing Hat]. In fact, the Trollish partygoers couldn’t help but exclaim over his haute couture ensemble! No wonder he got an express invitation to this ordinarily very exclusive party.

Here Oio of Dragonblight (US) receives the punishment meted out by his guild Gênesis for his failure to properly root Amani’Shi Scouts in place on their way to the Dragonhawk boss, Jan’alai. (For those who aren’t aware, a Druid is a near-necessity for this corridor of trash, each pull of which includes an Amani’Shi Scout. Unless rooted in place, a Scout will bang on nearby drums to summon 2-3 elite companions.)

Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! For a sneak preview of one of the new Druid class skills slated for Wrath of the Lich King — and specific to the Restoration spec — click the picture taken at right! This is my contribution to the Arbor Day Challenge, but try not to ruin the surprise for anyone else!

You may know Pummra of Whisperwind (US) as the author of Part Time Druid. What you may not know is that he originally got his start as a tough for Hogger of Elwynn Forest infamy. To this day, Pummra’s Riverpaw-given epithet is “Tree of Death.” Hogger raids are advised that, should Hogger spawn with Pummra in tow, they must bring a Warlock along whose sole purpose it is to keep him banished!

This contribution comes from my guildmate and friend, Satella of Scarlet Crusade (US) (who often posts here under his Mage’s name Crythia) and features his Tree of Life taking part in the Shattrath version of Darkmoon Faire festivities! Am I the only one completely incapable of landing on that stupid target?

Tiagantar of Durotan (US) takes our role as a proponents of positive carbon footprints to a whole new level by adding a solar-powered panel to the formerly high-emissions [Turbo-Charged Flying Machine]. No one tell Big Steam (of the Steamwheedle Cartel) about this innovation or he’ll be so much mulch!

Here Timbr of Skywall (US) engages in a popular Arbor Day tradition, planting a tree, high above the Scryer tier in Shattrath. Unbeknownst to most, the Scryers are actually pretty ecologically conscious, perhaps as a throwback to their earlier association with the Night Elf culture. Of course, maybe that’s a giant planter of Blood Thistle … Can anyone say, “potted” plant?

I received the following contribution from Tone who sacrificed a lot to get into the … Spirit of the Celebration!

“Who says you need to be in cat form to stealth? Westfall is uniquely suited for practice of the long-forgotten art of Treejutsu, the Way of the Tree. This poor Coyote does not even notice I am there!  Hey…why is he lifting his leg?” — Tinil of Silvermoon (US)

Wynn and Hibiscus of the Trinity Exiles guild on Terrokar (US) sent in these two pictures from Darnassus. I don’t know about you, but I’m having trouble seeing the forest for the Trees …

Yogi of Staghelm (US) submitted two beautifully contrasting images, the first taken in the solitude of Feralas with sunbeams piercing the veil of branches above and the second in front of the burning wall of fire found in the Sunwell Plateau.

Zackoria of Eredar (US) shows his “angry face” to the Kael’thas Sunstriders, against whom she’s waged a successful enough battle to have earned Exalted with the Shattered Sun Offensive. Surrounded by the red and orange and gold trees of Quel’Danas, he very much looks to be both in his element and season.

Leafy Learnings from Arbor Day 2008:

1. Tauren and Night Elf Restoration Druids look the same. While I would ordinarily consider this a bad thing and a sign of laziness on the part of Blizzard’s design team, it does have the benefit of bringing us closer together.
2. My readers are very creative! Someone even managed to include a don’t-pee-on-the-tree joke.
3. Of the images submitted, I’m only aware of three being at least partial photo manipulations (which includes mine).
4. My readers are masochists. There were four images of Trees on, in, or near FIRE. What’s wrong with you people?
5. There were 15 pictures taken in the Old World and 13 taken in Outlands, 3 of which were taken in Shattrath. Surprisingly, there was only one picture taken in Moonglade, perhaps because of it’s odd lighting.
6. There were 7 images related to raiding and 2 taken in Quel’Danas.
7. My readers like to toy with their emotions. In the pictures above there are two Trees pointing, three Trees waving, six Trees dancing, one Tree cheering, and one Tree crying. Additionally, there are two “flying” Trees.
8. My readers are procrastinators! I received 20 submissions within 3 days of the deadline (including my own). I had to set an earlier deadline (2 days before the images were released) because I’m out going to be out of town this week.

Related Posts

• Timberrrrrrrrrr!!! Arbor Day is Coming!!
• The Arbor Day Challenge
• Community Spotlight: Art from Andrige and More Blogs

#showtooltip
/equip [nomod,noworn:Fishing Pole] Seth's Graphite Fishing Pole
/cast [nomod:ctrl,worn:Fishing Pole] Fishing
/use [mod:ctrl,worn:Fishing Pole] Sharpened Fish Hook
/use [mod:ctrl,worn:Fishing Pole] 16

The above macro will:

• Equip [Seth's Graphite Fishing Pole] if it isn't already equipped
• Try to fish if you have your fishing pole equipped and you aren't pressing down CTRL
• Apply a [Sharpened Fish Hook] to your fishing pole if you have one equipped and hold down CTRL

I created this macro tonight and thought I would share. Does anyone else have a favorite fishing (or other tradeskill) macro? Edit: Gweedo does!

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As I’ve mentioned before, perhaps the most compelling and addictive feature of World of Warcraft are its multiple paths of character progression. From gear (PvE and PvP) to mounts to Reputation grinds to non-combat pet collections, Blizzard seems keen to provide players with ample opportunities to feel like they’re making progress. But unlike many of their competitors, they have yet to add what is perhaps the most significant, non-combat progression path: player housing.

I admit that I am a long-time player of the Sims and Sims 2 games. I find building and decorating homes in that game to be incredibly rewarding. (Mr. Phae at one time lamented the time I spent in the Sims until I pointed out that I could otherwise be spending our real money on such things!) And while the aims of a game like the Sims might seem vastly different from the aims of an MMORPG like World of Warcraft, I see no reason not to incorporate the home-building aspect of what is the best-selling game franchise in history.

There are other games that have included player housing, including EverQuest II, City of Heroes, and Final Fantasy XI. Even in the single-player RPG Oblivion, a popular in-game activity is building up a personal stronghold. I believe that any implementation of player housing by Blizzard would be vastly superior to anything that’s come before it, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t necessarily borrow ideas from previous incarnations. And because it’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to over the years, I would like to share a few of my own ideas for this feature!

• Upgradeable Housing Level
  Each city would have an instanced housing district with appropriate architecture. To build or purchase a home would require not only a considerable sum of gold but a certain reputation level. Each city could have several levels of house size and elaborateness at ever-increasing cost. Low-level characters could opt to “rent” an apartment which would lack many of the capabilities of a full-scale home (such as outdoor areas) but would provide a place for storage.
• Upkeep
  Players would need to pay a certain amount per month in upkeep costs or risk being locked out of their homes. To regain entry, they would need to pay the back rent (though no more than a month’s worth to avoid players taking a break from the game from being discouraged).
• Adjustable Permissions Set
  Characters could be granted access to visit and/or make changes and additions to a player home. (I am personally thrilled at the idea of sending Mr. Phae out for a new tablecloth.) Perhaps players could even make impermanent copies of their house keys to give to visitors that would expire after a certain amount of time.
• Craftable Furnishings
  The potential for tradeskilling to furnish one’s house are practically endless. To facilitate this, the Woodsmanship (gathering) and Carpentry (production) tradeskills could be added. The carpenter would also rely upon smithed nails and fasteners along with tailored upholstery fabrics and fillers. More elaborate fabrics could be created with the help of dyes and chemical treatments produced by alchemists. Jewelcrafters could create home furnishings such as mirrors, stained glass windows, and doorknobs.
• Droppable Furnishings
  A popular inclusion in EverQuest’s player housing was the ability to collect and display important trophies and artifacts within one’s home. Imagine being able to display the Hand of Uldaman’s Ironaya after defeating her. Similar epic encounters could also yield suitable trophies for display.

  One way to facilitate this would be to allow each character a single “large item” inventory slot. The player could then carry with them one large piece of pilfered loot, such as a chair or small table from Karazhan. Essentially, any item flagged as “furniture” of reasonable size could be moved to your house, provided you have the room to store it.

• Tradeskill Machines
  Although many tradeskills do not require the proximity of a tradeskill machine, many craftsmen would enjoy including either cosmetic or working tradeskill machines within their homes (ex. loom or spinning wheel for Tailors). These items could provide a small (+5) skill bonus to their relevant tradeskill or contribute to reducing the cooldowns on some recipes (ex. Primal Mooncloth).
• Reputation-Based Recipes
  Each race has its own style of architecture and furnishings. Therefore, some recipes and patterns could be reputation-based. To learn how to create an elegant, curving bed, you might need to raise your reputation with a tradeskill guild in Darnassus. No doubt, any elaborate stonework would require trafficking with a Masonry guild in Ironforge.
• Mannequins and Display Cases
  Imagine if instead of having to dispose of old, class-specific armor sets (Wildheart, Cenarion, Stormrage) for the sake of bank space, you could assemble these pieces onto a mannequin for display within your home. You could then have a gallery of previous armor sets you’ve collected over the years. Completionists might even feel compelled to finish their sets after they’re well beyond the appropriate content, ensuring that this old content isn’t completely obsolete. Similarly, weapons could be displayed on the wall or in a special weapon-case.
• Room Types
  Some possible room types include:
  • Indoor Tradeskilling Areas: Sewing Room, Alchemy Laboratory, Kitchen, Jeweler’s Station
  • Outdoor Tradeskilling Areas: Forge, Tannery
  • Garden: Herbalists could plant small, functional gardens that could be seeded with seeds acquired while herbing. These seeds would occasionally result in a harvestable plant of the same type as the plant from which they were gathered. (I think there is something similar in FFXI.)
  • Fishable Pond: Similar to the garden, these ponds could be seeded with fresh fish caught from other areas of the world. Occasionally, these ponds would yield a pool that could be fished for that type of fish. Only one type of fish pool could be active at a time.
  • Bedroom: For earning rest or cyber XP.
  • Stables: Provide a happy home and display place for the mounts you have outgrown. Could also replace or supplement the limited stable slots allowed to Hunters.
  • Vault: Personal, upgradeable storage outside the standard bank. Also useful for Scrooge McDuckin’ through enormous piles of gold.
  • Library: When a player encounters a book in game (such as those on the floor of Scarlet Monastery), allow her to take a copy to be stored for later reading. Who really has time to read all of those books during a 5-man instance run?
• Bind Point
  A player could set his hearthstone by interacting with the mantle of his hearth.
• Mailbox
  Same as the standard mailbox but with the additional option to request that items from your bank be mailed to you for a small fee.
• Pets
  Just as in EverQuest 2, players could allow 1-2 non-combat pets to roam their house.
• Collections
  Various collections of items could be added to the game. Each item in the set would indicate which set it belongs to and might not necessarily provide any in-game benefit. Examples of these collections could be rare flowers or catchable insects. Once complete, a collection could be displayed. This would encourage exploration, particularly of older content.
• Seasonal Decorations
  Purchasable, craftable, and questable seasonal decorations. These could include the items used to decorate major cities during the Holidays.

I know that many players find the idea of player housing to be silly, but it’s an aspect that would greatly increase the enjoyment of a large percentage of the player base. If nothing else, the additional character storage would provide everyone a tangible benefit to having a home. And really, who wouldn’t want an Onyxia-hide throw pillow?

P.S. Check this out!

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Please note that as of June, 2008 Blizzard has expressed renewed interest in the detection of applications such as “Model Edit.” Use these beautiful modifications at your own risk.

It has long been a topic of much chagrin among Druids that our forms remain static and, in the opinions of some, ugly. The Bear Form model first seen at level 10 is the same model seen at level 70. One community member identified as Andrige has done more than complain about this issue. He’s gone through the extraordinary effort to create several beautiful new skins for each race’s forms, basing them upon the existing models (a limitation he hopes to circumvent in the future) and created a video of them being used in game.

While the use of these models would be a violation of the Terms of Service (and thus, I wouldn’t recommend it), it is still an amazing showcase of talent and dedication. I have to say that the award for "most improved" goes to his version of Tauren Cat Form, whose newly closed mouth and darker fur make it appear far more majestic than before. A close second would go to his alternative version of the Tauren Lynx model. I also like his Tree of Life models. I’ve never understood why the models for other combat-based forms are differentiated between Alliance and Horde, but we both look like rotten broccoli in Tree of Life.

Continue reading ‘Andrige’s Shapeshift Skins’…

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