30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

Just ok, December 28, 2009

I own the first two of this series of books and this one isn’t as good. The best part about these books is how they list the boss abilities and what needed to be done to counter them. Nothing like that in this one. They would give you the name of the ability, how much damage it might cause, and that’s about it.

They rammed all of the info about what loot drops into a huge runon paragraph that is a headache to look through.

The entire book isn’t laid out very well at all, and the boss on the cover isn’t even touched on.

Maybe instead of wasting 1-2 pages with a huge picture of the boss, they could have gotten into better detail about the abilities and what needed to be done to succeed.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

Decent, but not essential, March 6, 2010

In terms of color and graphics, this is the best visually of the three dungeon guides. Unfortunately, though, its usefulness is very limited. In fact, some of the information in the guide was dated even at the time of publication, such as using Emblems of Heroism and Valor to obtain gear even when these were obsolete. Shortly after publication, Icecrown Citadel opened and the Emblems of Conquest drops became Emblems of Triumph, the Looking for Group feature completely changed, and all the daily dungeon quests were removed in favor of a daily random dungeon quest. Even so, there are still typographical errors and just plain wrong information scattered throughout the book, such as the number of bosses in Naxxramas and omitting how to handle all of Lord Jaraxxus’ abilities in Trial of the Crusader. This is especially disappointing as these problems were also present in the first two guides, but Brady Games seems to have not learned from their mistakes. And while it does give a brief run-through of the Frozen Halls 5-man dungeons and the Icecrown Citadel raid up through Sindragosa, this would be the section most end-game players would really be wanting to see yet will not be able to find here.

On the positive side, the guide gives the reader information needed to negotiate each instance and raid in any role. Someone playing a ranged DPS character may master running Trial of the Crusader in that role, for instance, but find that the fight is far different as a tank, healer, or melee DPS and need this guide to quickly bring him/her up to speed. It also covers the Burning Crusade content that was released after the publication of Volume II (Zul’Aman, Magister’s Terrace, and Sunwell Plateau) but it does so from the perspective of doing these instances as level 80 instead of the original level 70, since naturally most players doing them now would be at the higher level limit. The new level 80 Naxxramas section is not nearly as detailed as the one for the original level 60 instance in Volume II, though the current version is considerably easier in relation to its level than the old one was and does not really need an exhaustive breakdown in any case.

Overall, this is a good bathroom reader to make people wonder why you’re taking so long, but anyone using it certainly needs to use online resources to update and correct the contents.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

Another great guide, February 2, 2010

First of all, I am a tactile reader, I like having a physical book in front of me. Everything in these guide books can be found online, just depends on how much time you want to spend looking.

Clearly a lot of time and effort were put into the previous guides and this one is no exception, it’s 400+ pages and full of pictures, stats and gear. Now I certainly wouldn’t use this to look up loot for my character but for a casual player looking to get into some PUG raids this guide is great. There’s over 30 pages on Naxxramas alone.

Also if you have guild mates that need to level there is a great little guide at the back listing specific equipment that would be useful. Most of it is based around the Argent Tournament and doesn’t include the new 3.3 loot but it’s useful for entry level 80s.

Overall, if you own the other guides and want to complete your collection $16.99 is a great price for this on Amazon

83 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

If You Play One Real-Time Strategy Game In Your Life…, December 28, 2003

Every company these days has their own version of a real-time strategy (RTS) game and many aren’t worth the price as they are cheap rip-offs of other popular ideas. However, if you’d like to play a game created by the company most responsible for the RTS craze, then look no further than Warcraft 3. Not only do you get the most balanced RTS game available which makes for better multiplayer competition but you also get one heck of a single-player campaign. The story in Warcraft 3 is terrific and probably better than most role-playing games. To top it off, Warcraft 3 combines superior graphics with the best artwork you will ever see in a real-time strategy game. The orcs, undead legions, humans, elves and many worlds they explore are a visual as well as strategic experience. And best of all, this game that was well worth the price when it was released is now packaged with the top notch expansion, The Frozen Throne, which is an expansion that is actually better than most regular RTS games these days. If you’ve never tried the Blizzard series of real-time strategy games, you’re missing out. This company is pure class and even provides a free online gaming service called BattleNet that allows you to match your wits against thousands of online gamers. Whether it be releasing some of the most stable games in years or banning griefers on BattleNet that formed a childish organization whose only intention was to backstab allies in multi-player competition, Blizzard is known as one of the best gaming companies in the business, and it shows with their games.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

An Incredible Game, September 26, 2004

I don’t think I need to go into detail about the game: you can just visit http://www.blizzard.com/war3 , http://www.blizzard.com/war3x/ , and http://www.battle.net/war3 and they’ll tell you everything you need to know about the mechanics and the features of the game. There are some things that I can say about it.

The graphics are as good as you’d ever need, but that’s not to say they’re bad; quite the opposite actually. The game has a cartoonish tone to its graphics that really lends itself to the fantasy atmosphere and the spell effects are top-notch. At first glance, the game may seem to be about who gets the strongest hero first, but that’s certainly not the case. The number of strategies are infinite and everything can be easily countered by an experienced player. There is a heavy emphasis on micromanagement and spellcasting in the thick of battle that is overwhelming even for me, a 6-year starcraft veteran. I recommend dialing down the game speed during especially large battles, because the computer will wipe you out if you give it the chance.

The single-player story is absolutely stellar. Photo-realistic CGI Cinematics precede and end each of the campaigns, and there are no traditional mission briefings as such. The in-game cinemas help to advance the story and serve to never take you out of the game world; this all adds up to a immersion in the story like no other. Since each of the campaigns revolve around a single hero, it’s not hard to get emotionally involved in the story, and that’s a rare feat. One of the reasons I love Blizzard’s game so much is the wealth of detail they inject into the history of the worlds; in this case, the realm of Azeroth. Half of the instruction manual is devoted to the backstory of each of the four races and explanations of all of the units; far beyond just describing what they do.

It’s very easy to pick up and play – the orc tutorial mini-campaign at the beginning is really all you need, but practice helps to master the strategies and find the one that works for you. Battle.net can be a hostile place, inhabited mostly by boys in their early teens; but more often than not you get involved in a great game with several other likeable people who aren’t having an ego trip.

The only complaints I have is that even though the story has as much depth as most novels have, it steals quite a lot of elements from Starcraft. Some of the spells/skills can be recognizable from Starcraft, and Diablo, both produced by Blizzard as well. While the story in Reign of Chaos (original warcraft III) is amazing in itself and ends on a great note, the story in The Frozen Throne (the expansion to warcraft III, also included in the battle chest) ends on quite a downer. You could stop at Reign of Chaos and not miss much story-wise, but it’s only a minor complaint, because the Frozen Throne campaign is just as stellar, if not even more so than the RoC Campaign. The biggest complaint I have with this pack is the strategy guides included – they’re nothing like the ones included in the Starcraft Battle Chest. They’re “Official Battle Chest Guides” which only provide strategys for the campaigns. They have no maps, unit descriptions, and only a few general tips for other game types. There are even references to maps that aren’t even there. Not to mention they’re very small, to fit in the box. I wasn’t very happy with them at all.

Overall though, this is an incredible game, recommended to anyone who loves a challenge and a great story.

253 of 298 people found the following review helpful:

Its like crack but more addictive!, October 4, 2004

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!

I cannot stop playing this game. It has consumed my waking hours with the varacity of the most evil predator. It haunts my sleep with dreams of wisps building treant and my waking hours with visions of waypoints and health bars. I cannot escape this curse and so I revel in it!

Play not this game if you be of weak stomach! Play not this game if you lay claim to a social life. Play not this game if you cannot afford it. But most importantly, play not this game if thou liketh the sun or its golden rays, for they will be far from your sight once Warcraft 3 hath struck you.

Know then, all of you that the campaign of both WC3 and Frozen Throne is challenging as well as fun. Know well all of you that it’s amazing mix of RPG style gaming and base building mesh seamlessly. Know you most of all that the story of the fallen lands of Lorderon and Azeroth is one of epic proportions and classic style.

Be you aware that as fun as the single player experience is, it pales when held to the light of its online brethren. The ease with which one can find and fight others online is amazing and revolutionary. The joy one gets from the various modes, including a custom battle option, is endless. But greatest of the achievements made by Blizzard, hallowed be thy name, is the continuous updates that not only make play most fair…but also add new features, such as mercenary heroes and extra campaigns.

I am the converted. I walked the path of Warcraft 2. I swam the seas of Starcraft. Now I lay in the valley of the Final Trimutive, Warcraft 3, fully sated and content. Only the promise of Starcraft Two has kept me on this plane of existence, hoping for a summer 2005 release but knowing it will never happen. Woe be to he of the path, for the tireless devotion to a false deity who has defiled himself with a release on console (Starcraft Ghost).

(Two Years Later)
Oh Yee who have tasted the sweet necter of Warcraft, I have supped of it! In my finest of hours I did what few have done! I defeated the leagons of undead and the Burning on the setting of hard! And I have been most abused. Blizzard, hallowed be thy name, has shown they can easily make a Starcraft 2 in its credits but still refuses to feed my needs… Oh well.