It’s Friday, which means another it’s time for another Community News and a fresh dose of fansite updates, WoW comics and forum threads!

Fansites:

• Polish site Battlenet posted thetranscript of their interview with Blizzard developers Tom Chilton and Chris Robinson at gamescom. They also translated the latest news onTransmogrification and Void Storage.
• Italian site Battlecraft also reports on their interview with Tom Chilton. If you’re in the mood for some lore, you can read up on Nozdormu’s story so far, and while you’re there why not  take part in a poll on Transmogrification.
• Polish site WoWCenter has covered the upcoming TCG’s Darkmoon Faire, which kicks off in Poland this weekend. Speaking of Darkmoon Faire, there’s a Polish translation of the patch 4.3 preview, which gives details of the changes to the travelling carnival event! Finally, there’s news on the first Polish wielder of Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa’s Rest.
• Finnish site Goblin Explosives Network  also covers the Darkmoon Faire preview!
• Hungarian site WoW-Hungary has reported on the unveiling of Murkablo, the pet all BlizzCon attendees will receive! There’s also another helpful addon review which looks at something to help keep track of your attempts to collect elusive rare items such as mounts and pets.
• Serbian site WoW-Serbia has a video by WoWcrendor entitled “How to Win at PvP 2”
• English site Myndflame has another Battle of the Blues, this time with music!
• Czech and Slovak site WoWfan has an awesome gamescom wrap-up article

Weekly Comics:

• Looking for Group: Oh.
• Beyond the Tree: Sail Away With Me
• The Daily Blink: So Five Patches Ago and Patch 4.3 Condensed
• Away From Reality: Not Prepared
• Lorgrokni’s Travels: Jezebel
• Black Dragons Chronicles: Vengeance

Forum Watch:

• [Guide] Dalrian has created a PvP guide for Subtlety Rogues
• Check out the dancing moves that took place in Orgrimmar recently

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step right up and prepare to be amazed!

It’s incredible! It’s unbelievable! You’ll be dazzled. You’ll be amazed! You aren’t prepared for the Darkmoon Faire, ‘cause it’s like nothing you’ve seen before! Don’t be shy now, don’t be bashful, step right up for a tantalizing glimpse of what we’ve got in store for you when patch 4.3 arrives!

That old thing?

No, no, no, Clem. The Darkmoon Faire isn’t what it used to be and it isn’t where it used to be. The management hasn’t changed but the Faire certainly has. It’s a whole new animal. Tickets? You don’t need those old tickets, just rip ‘em right up, ‘cause we’ve got new tickets! Out with the old, in with the new — new quests, that is! Things have changed ‘round here: we’ve got an island all to ourselves now, and what an island it is. Mist-shrouded Darkmoon Island is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. It’s a place of mystery and wonder, and you wouldn’t believe the deals we made to get it… or who we made ‘em with. But never mind that, just follow me right through here and I’ll show you what the Darkmoon Faire is all about.

Catch a show at the marvelous main stage or witness a dazzling fireworks display. But don’t stare too long or you might miss the stunning spectacles that surround you. Gaze in awe of our magical menagerie, get your fortune told by the amazing Sayge, go on a pony ride, experience the healthful effects of carnival food, and more!

Of course, there’s more to the Darkmoon Faire than just fantastic shows and culinary delights. You can still turn in your Darkmoon Cards, but you wouldn’t just come here for measly ol’ cards when there’s so much more to see, experience, and win. Yes, win! You like dancing bears, right? Everybody likes dancing bears. Even bears like dancing bears. How about a dancing bear… you can ride!

That’s not all! We have adorable companion pets includin’ a fez-wearing monkey, a plethora of profession recipes, toys, balloons, souvenirs, delectable carnival snacks and beverages, heirlooms for the little ones, and even replicas of long-lost suits of armor that we’re offering for your Transmogrification needs. You can also make your mark with new achievements and titles. All it takes to earn these fabulous rewards is a few Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets and a good reputation with the carnies. How do ya get your grubby mitts on some tickets? I’m glad you asked!

Step right up! Try your luck! Everyone’s a winner!

Have we got games? You bet we’ve got games, and they’re so easy to play an orc could do it. Just head on over to the midway, buy some Darkmoon Game Tokens, and get ready to play. Easy to learn, difficult to master, anyone can play and everyone can win. Just lay your tokens down for a chance at winning Darkmoon Prize Tickets playing games like Whack-a-Gnoll, the Tonk Battle Royale, the Cannon, Ring Toss, the Shooting Gallery, and more! Five games are there to test your skills at any one time. The better you play, the easier it is to win a bucket of Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets! Once a month, you’ve got a shot at tickets, and the fun never stops ‘cause you can play as many times as you like. But that’s not the only way to win big!

It’s your passport to riches, my friend. Y’see, we need a few things — just some junk, nothing valuable to a big hero like you. We call ‘em Darkmoon Artifacts, and there’s all different kinds to be found all over Azeroth. The Darkmoon Field Guide helps you discover artifacts while you’re explorin’ dungeons, slayin’ monsters, and fightin’ in Battlegrounds. Without a guide, you’d never notice ‘em, and it’ll help keep you focused on the stuff we want. Whether you just reached level 10, or you’ve crushed the biggest baddies in the land, we need somethin’ from nearly everybody. You won’t have to go too far out of your way to get ‘em and each month you’ll get a new opportunity to seek out an Artifact for us. What do you get out of the deal? Don’t you worry, you’ll get your cut. When you bring a Darkmoon Artifact back to us, you’ll get valuable experience (it builds character, you know!), earn a better reputation, and possibly earn precious Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets too!

Oh, did I mention that you can use the Field Guide to get to Darkmoon Island whenever the Darkmoon Faire’s monthly extravaganza is up and running?

So, you want to work in show business?

Maybe you’d like a little peek behind the scenes, eh? Want to see what it takes to run the greatest show on Azeroth? Well, it’s not all sunshine and cotton candy, my friend. There are beasts to heal, food to cook, and buildings to fix. If you’re willing help keep the show going and put your skills to work, you’ll not only impress us, but you can get experience, Darkmoon Prize Tickets, and even polish up your skills — up to five skill points per profession, per Faire week, if you’re good at what you do!

Like any good carnival, the Darkmoon Faire has a shady side. You can leave the skilled labor to the suckers and go for a faster score instead. If you’ve got the minerals, the Darkmoon Deathmatch offers an experience unparalleled since the Gurubashi Arena. Pitmaster Pei has a big old treasure chest just brimming with goodies and Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets that he’ll drag out into the Darkmoon Deathmatch Pit every three hours or so. Everybody wants it, so if you want a piece of the action you’ll just have to jump in and prove that you’re the toughest one in the Pit.

Oh, the Faire is perfectly safe, Clem. Just don’t wander into the woods.

Now, now, don’t panic. Darkmoon Isle might be a bit spooky, but except for the Deathmatch Pit, the Faire itself is completely safe, I guarantee it. It’s a sanctuary even, and we won’t let anybody’s beef ruin the fun. The shadowy woods surroundin’ the fair are another thing entirely, though. I wouldn’t say that people have disappeared into those woods never to return, but, well… people disappear into those woods never to return. So watch your step , and your back, when you leave the Faire. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Now that you know how amazing the new Darkmoon Faire is, you won’t want to miss it. Just take a look at your in-game calendar, and the Darkmoon Faire dates will show up there on the first week of every month. Darkmoon Faire barkers and displays will also pop up in every capital city to herald the arrival of the Faire. Silas Darkmoon himself has even started up a mailer to make sure that no one misses out!

Hitch a ride

During the first week of each month, convenient Darkmoon Faire outposts with Darkmoon Portals will appear in Elwynn Forest and Mulgore, offering free rides to Darkmoon Island and the Faire!

Darkmoon Mages in capital cities and on Darkmoon Island will also be around to help you get between the Faire and various capital cities. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, so naturally you’re obliged to compensate them for their services.

Welcome to the first Community News of the week where, as usual, we have the top pick of fansite updates, WoW comics and forum threads for you to enjoy!

Fansites:

• Italian site Battlecraft has some great coverage of Blizzard at gamescom 2011. They also covered all the big news from the past few days including the latest hotfixes, news about patch 4.3, changes to the threat system, and RealID party goes live and remains free. There’s also links to the North American battle.net Invitational VODsfor you to check out!
• English site Wowjuju has compiled all the available info on Transmogrification and Void Storage for you to read up on.
• Hungarian site Wow-hungary has another Video of the Week, this time it’s “If we Hold On” with vocals from Sharm.
• English site Myndflame has another Epic Blue Time, with the announcements about Transmogrification, Void Storage and Threat Changes.
• English site Manaflask has interviews with Athene and Swifty at gamescom. They’re also recruiting in the build-up to Deathwing and beyond!

Weekly Comics:

• Looking For Group: Do What You Will
• Teh Gladiators: Three-Headed Chicken Part One and Part Two
• Dark Legacy Comics: Not a Clone
• Beyond the Tree: Prepare to Set Sail
• Arena-Inside: Out of Horses
• Sara & Kleeyo: Easily Inspired
• The Daily Blink: You’re a Death Knight, Charlie Brown! and Who Do I Have to Kill?
• Daily Quest: Great Expectations
• Away From Reality: To Not-so-boldy Go
• Lorgrokni’s Travels: Blind Judgement

Forum Watch:

• If you could possess one spell from WoW in real life, what would it be?
• Which non-combat pet are you currently using?
• Which race would you like to see get a makeover, and why?
• Which is your favourite area to level in?
• [Guide] How to Roleplay a Death Knight
• [Guide] The Dark Lady and Her Forsaken

Another Friday has rolled around so, without further ado, may we proudly present the latest Community News, packed with WoW comics, fansite news and fun forum threads. Have a great weekend, everybody!

Fansites:

• Polish site battlenet.pl has translated the short story of Tyrande and Malfurion: Seeds of Faith. You can see all the Leader Short Stories so far in the story section of the site.
• Swedish site LevelCap is attending gamescom in Germany, and has made aYouTube channel where they intend to upload videos of the event in Swedish.
• Hungarian site WoW-Hungary has anotherVideo of the Week, this time from WoWcrendor, as it follows the brave adventurer Boar Thrills.
• Polish site WoWcenter has translated the recent blog by Ghostcrawler on threat.
• English site Myndflame has another Epic Blue Time, where the insane voice actor reads you the blues.
• Czech and Slovak site WoWfan.cz has translated the latest 4.2 hotfixes.

Weekly Comics:

• Looking For Group: Gamlon’s Revenge
• Teh Gladiators: Keep Low Goblins Part One and Part Two
• Dark Legacy Comics: Gigz kitchen
• Beyond the Tree: Inspirational Power Chords
• Arena-Inside: Achievements
• Sara & Kleeyo: Background Check
• The Daily Blink: Disenfranchised and Aggro Challenge: Accepted
• Daily Quests: How to Annoy Your Guildmates With leap of Faith #4
• Away From Reality: Outlandish
• Lorgrokni’s Travels: The “Saner” Option
• Nerfnow: Easy Peasy
• Black Dragons Chronicles: Short Announcement

Forum Watch:

• What armour will you be wearing when Transmogrification arrives?
• How do you pronounce your character’s name?
• Ever come across some quest text that you found particularly amusing?
• [PvP-guide] Guide to success in Tol Barad

You’ve been asking for it, and we were listening. In patch 4.3 you’ll be able to customise the appearance of your weapons and armor like never before.
The Ethereals, emerging from the nether, will bring with them a new technology they call Transmogrification. They’re heading to the capital cities of Azeroth to set up shop and to offer adventurers a unique service – copying the appearance of one magical item onto another. They only ask for a modest gold donation to recoup their costs.

Visiting a Transmogrifier will present players with a new interface that will allow them to change the appearance of an item while retaining its original stats. This means that you can raid in your paladin tier 12 Immolation set, but look like you’re wearing Lightbringer, while priests can bring Benediction back – at least in spirit. Hunters can once again roam the jungles of Stranglethorn Vale in their tier 2 Dragonstalker set. You could even slip into the saucy tailored Black Mageweave set for that matter. You know, with the thigh-highs, and the little gloves, and the cute little… ahem.

Placing an item into the Transmogrifier interface will offer a preview of how the item will appear once the change is applied. However, not all item pairings are compatible with Transmogrification. In general, only items that have stats can be used in the transmogrification process. You must also be able to wear both items when using this service. Ethereals don’t have much in the way of ethics, but allowing someone to appear as if they’re equipping unusable items crosses the line. Similarly, they won’t allow you to change weapon or armor types. Sneaky death knights can’t make that breastplate look like a cloth robe, and you can’t make a one-handed axe look like a two-handed axe, or transform a sword’s appearance into that of a mace. Guns, bows, and crossbows will be the exception to this rule. You will finally be able to retain your dwarf’s racial gun bonus while appearing with all the splendor and elegance of a bow wielder (or at least the relative silence of one).

Placing items into the Transmogrify interface will increase the gold cost of the process, and clicking the Transmogrify button (assuming you have the necessary funds) will put the appearance change into effect. The process can be reversed by clicking the undo icon on each item, and then hitting the Transmogrify button once more to save the changes. Any item that’s transmogrified will have text indicating it’s been altered by the process for all to see, similar to the item tooltip callout for reforged items.

Transmogrification encourages players to hold onto items with sentimental or aesthetic value, and the Ethereals anticipate that personal bag and bank space will be at a premium now that everyone will be hoarding their frilly pantaloons and leather jerkins. In anticipation of this new demand for additional storage space, they’ll be introducing a unique Void Storage service. What’s Void Storage, you ask? We’ll provide more details soon.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Christie Golden, the new novel Thrall: Twilight of the Aspectsfollows the former War Chief of the Horde as he struggles with the ongoing repercussions of the Cataclysm. 

When Azeroth was young, the noble titans appointed the five great dragonflights to safeguard the budding world. Each of the flights’ leaders was imbued with a portion of the titans’ vast cosmic powers. Together, these majestic Dragon Aspects committed themselves to thwarting any force that threatened the safety of the World of Warcraft.

Over ten thousand years ago, a betrayal by the maddened black Dragon Aspect, Deathwing, shattered the strength and unity of the dragonflights. His most recent assault on Azeroth—the Cataclysm—has left the world in turmoil. At the Maelstrom, the center of Azeroth’s instability, former Horde warchief Thrall and other accomplished shaman struggle to keep the world from tearing apart in the wake of Deathwing’s attack. Yet a battle also rages within Thrall regarding his new life in the shamanic Earthen Ring, hampering his normally unparalleled abilities.

Unable to focus on his duties, Thrall undertakes a seemingly menial task from an unexpected source: the mysterious green Dragon Aspect, Ysera. This humble endeavor soon becomes a journey spanning the lands of Azeroth and the timeways of history itself, bringing Thrall into contact with ancient dragonflights. Divided by conflict and mistrust, these dragons have become easy prey to a horrific new weapon unleashed by Deathwing’s servants . . . a living nightmare engineered to exterminate Azeroth’s winged guardians.

Of even greater concern is a bleak and terrifying possible future glimpsed by Ysera: the Hour of Twilight. Before this apocalyptic vision comes to pass, Thrall must purge his own doubts in order to discover his purpose in the world and aid Azeroth’s dragonflights as they face the Twilight of the Aspects.

Deathwing the Destroyer has arrived in the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game and he’s brought both the Twilight and Black dragonflights with him. Tainted by corrupt magic before they were hatched, the Twilight dragons threaten to bring an age of darkness to the land. Unleash their fiery fury as you crack open packs ofTwilight of the Dragons, in stores now.

Embrace the chaos and ally with Nefarian, Cho’gall, and Sinestra, or defend Azeroth against their assault by joining Thrall, Caelestrasz, Merithra, Arygos, Anachronos, and the elemental ascendants.

In this time of great peril, will you join Deathwing’s forces or defend against it? Choose your side and prepare for war!