Watching Blizzard: So much has happened

A lot has happened this week, and it’s not even over yet. So instead of wasting time with an introduction that you probably don’t care about, let’s jump in to the juicy stuff: the news.

(And yes, I am ignoring my total inability to adhere to a schedule this week. I’m going to blame it on Mitch, which I think makes perfect sense.)

Battle for Azeroth is going global

• For launch, that is. The game will launch in all regions world-wide at the same time, which means a slightly earlier launch in North America. Look for the expansion to go live at 3pm PDT on August 13, so you can get to gaming right after work.
• Be sure to hug your nearest Blizzard employee, because that’s going to be a tough day.

Soon you’ll be able to do the Mage Tower challenge whenever you want to

• With only a few weeks until the Battle for Azeroth pre-patch, Blizzard is tweaking the challenge so you’ll have more chances to complete it.
• Still trying to get your challenge appearance? We have a few tips to help out.

Who let Adam write posts again?

• Well, apparently Adam is our boss and he doesn’t need our permission to write things, despite his typo tendencies. And he put together an interesting op-ed on how Blizzard could step up and show some moral leadership in gaming just as Valve is stepping down.
• But he’s still a typo monster, though when I had that conversation with him he blamed it on his keyboard.

Fighting toxicity by rewarding rather than punishing players

• Overwatch is adding some cool new social tools, including a WoW-like LFG tool and a system of endorsements that lets you reward good teammates.

It’s time for betawatch!

• Our adventures through Dazar’alor take us to the more conventional parts of town, tracking down the area’s banks and portals in this gallery.
• There are Warrior changes on the beta, and it’s no surprise that Rossi has some opinions.
• Tabards are looking pretty weird on the beta. By which I mean weirder than usual, because tabards have always looked kind of weird.

This is still beta news, but it deserves its own section

• We now know what the Kul Tiran Druid flight form is. Which is to say it is amazing.

Looking to rack up some Hearthstone wins this month?

• The recent nerf hit some decks hard — but we’ve put together a list of the most successful decks in the game’s new meta.

We’re a bit disillusioned about Diablo

• Yes, the Diablo team is hiring. But they’ve been hiring for years and we’ve yet to hear even a whisper of a game. So we’re not going to hold our breath over here.

And that’s all for now, but there’s no doubt we’ll stumble into all new points of interest tomorrow (and/or today). Until then, this is Liz, signing out.