Blizzard Watch Weekly: All is clam

I find myself being a bit envious of Scrooge sometimes as we round this particular temporal corner. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends and family, but sometimes it sounds like it might be nice to be “secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster,” as Dickens described him. And that, Watchers, is when I know it’s peak holiday overwhelm season. Thank goodness we tracked down all of Blizzard’s Yule Log videos to keep things as chill as the ocean floor.

With a fervent holiday wish that things clam down a bit, here’s everything that happened this week and a few reminders for next.

What Happened This Week?

• Patch 11.0.7 and Siren Isle released December 17
• This week’s Hearthstone Tavern Brawl: Wacky Waxy Winter Veil Brawl (Constructed, Wild)
• This week’s WoW World Boss: Orta, the Broken Mountain
• Active Twitch Drop campaigns

The big news this week was the release of patch 11.0.7, which gave us the newest zone to explore in World of Warcraft, Siren Isle. We discussed some of the basic questions people have every new patch — how to get to Siren Isle, how to (not) fly on Siren Isle, that kind of thing. Also par for the course in terms of standard additions, the new geegaw for 11.0.7 is Cyrce’s Circlet, so we discussed how to get Cyrce’s Circlet and upgrade it, and the new currency, Flame Blessed Iron. We also discussed some of the changes brought to higher end gearing as a result of the patch.

In previous patches, the team made it easier to solo Shadowlands raids, but as always there are a few fights that retain some quirky mechanics that make it tougher than just punching an old god in the snoot for a new hat.

And in a relatively new recurring column, we had a dose of serotonin with a baby capybara. We’re all hanging by the barest of threads at this point, so any little boost is nice.

What’s Happening Next Week (and beyond)

• Diablo 4’s festive Slay Ride to Hell event through January 2
• Winter Veil in Warcraft Rumble through January 2
• Winter Veil in World of Warcraft through January 5
• World of Warcraft 20th Anniversary Event through January 6
• Winter Wonderland in Overwatch 2, through January 6

Next week is more of less just a continuation of the holiday events, plus a few extras off-platform. The Epic Games Store started their daily giveaway this week, and we’ll be reporting on the new titles up for grabs daily as they roll over at around 11 a.m. EST. The end time is projected to be the same as the end of their winter sales. And speaking of winter sales, the Steam platform also launched a sale of their own on Thursday, and this week’s gaming post is about some of our more recent favorites that have a decent discount on that platform. Now is a great time to snap up any of the great indies we’ve been hearing about through the past few weeks through the awards season, too. We wrote about 12 great upcoming indies we saw showcased which currently have playable demos, in case you want a little something more for free.

In looking toward the future, we’re stepping up our coverage of WoW Classic‘s Season of Discovery, because we have an official release date for the next phase: January 9. “But Anna, that’s so soon,” you’re definitely saying, and yeah, I know. But to get ready for this suddenly impending release, we’ve written posts on where to find your Rune Brokers.

Podcasts

• Blizzard Watch Podcast: A deep dive into patch 11.0.7 and Siren Isle
• Lore Watch Podcast: Potential new class hall locations post-Dalaran

The Blizzard Watch Podcast featured recurring side character and lovable scamp Cory, who joined the crew to discuss the latest hotness in patch 11.0.7. Lore Watch this week was about the places some classes may want to relocate to, now that Dalaran, you know, did the thing. As a Hunter main, I can’t relate, and suggest that Rogues get good.

If you’d like to listen to the podcast early, Tier 2 Patreon patrons get access two days before the shows are posted here on the main page. Plus, you get our eternal gratitude for your support.

Reminders, to-dos, and ICYMIs

This is the weekend to do all your cookie baking! If you just can’t decide which cookie to make, we have a few suggestions that are pretty tasty. We’d also suggest you take this weekend to square away the games and apps on your phone for a holiday get-together. Personally I’m all in on Balatro, because it has a pause function that allows you to pick up right where you were, in case your dad finally snaps and tells your Aunt Linda exactly where she can shove her passive-aggressive comments about traditions.

I’ll also take this time to remind you that, since news is likely to be light on the ground, our posting schedule next week will probably be a little lighter than usual too — though we’ll always have The Queue to keep us warm nice and clammy.

Happy holidays!