Matthew Rossi

I've played World of Warcraft for a really long time, and yet I still get excited when patch notes come out, or when there's some datamining that highlights a change I like.

I made an incoherent Murloc noise when I read the folks at Wowhead had found a global string that would mean we could choose a separate transmog option for each shoulder when Shadowlands goes live.

When Shadowlands launches, we'll be spending a lot of time in Oribos, the hub city of the expansion.

That's right, the Blizzard Watch team once again we braved the virtual tabletop — complete with a 20 minute delay as the DM tried to figure out Roll20 — to play D&D and explore an ancient volcano lair.

I've done it a few times, switching my main in World of Warcraft.

Whether you're just coming back to World of Warcraft for patch 8.3, or you've been playing for a while and you just decided to get your alts up to speed with the gear options like Old God Assaults, one thing you may not really be prepared for is just how quickly Corruption can get out of hand.

It can be a little hard to keep up with changes to the targeted Corruption system Blizzard added this week, but this particular change is definitely worth being aware of -- previously, it was impossible for the system to allow you to cleanse a previously Corrupted item and then add the Preserved Contaminant of your choice back to that item.

I’ve lived with an anxiety disorder for years, and one of the ways I’ve dealt with it is by isolating myself as much as possible from other people. Going to BlizzCon last year was a massive effort, and while I was very glad I got to go, I was also very tense and even afraid the whole time. Coming home was sad, because BlizzCon was so amazing, but it was also a huge relief to not be around so many people, and to be with my wife and our little family again.

So it’s strange. In a way, all this self-isolation we’re all doing now is just how I live all the time, so I’m seeing everyone having a hard time coping and I have no idea how to help. I hope you’re all holding up okay.

This is the Queue. We can hang out here.

Blizzard surprised us all this week by announcing changes to Corruption and Echoes of Ny'alotha, as well as to how quickly you could level up your Legendary Cloak, and then almost immediately hotfixing some of those changes live.

Starting this week, you'll be able to buy specific types of Corruption to apply to gear, removing the randomness from the system — and making it a lot easier for new 120s to gear up.