So long, Keyring! Blizzard just announced that the Keyring will be disappearing in World of Warcraft patch 4.2 "in order to free up that space for new features." Keys that no longer serve a purpose in the game will automatically be removed from your inventory, while keys that still serve a purpose will be transferred into your regular inventory.

Bashiok also hinted that this change could "potentially allow us to play around with the amount of default storage space you’re allotted down the road." You can read more about the logistics behind the removal of the Keyring in his full post after the jump.

UPDATE: Bashiok has posted a tentative list of keys that will likely remain in the game and be moved to your inventory. He also clarified the purpose of the Keyring removal: "by removing the Keyring we can clear up some literal UI space for a Dungeon Journal button, and Raid button, and we also get some storage room back to use for upcoming features."

"What makes a good MMORPG?"

Ever since I started working as a video game journalist, I've been rather obsessed with this question, throwing it out in candid phone interviews and studio visits whenever I could. In particular, I love to ask this when I hear of a new MMORPG being developed, because when launch day rolls around, that's when it's time to see if the vision matches the product. Unfortunately, I don't think I ever realized what a loaded question I was asking until someone asked me the very same thing and hundreds of different answers popped into my head. Fact is, for every stellar MMORPG we run across, there are probably a dozen mediocre ones waiting to be launched. So just what is it that makes for a good MMORPG?

I've decided to devote a bit of my time and a few articles to exploring this.

This is just a friendly reminder that BlizzCon tickets will go on sale tomorrow, May 21, at 10 a.m. PDT on the official BlizzCon website. A second batch will be available on Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. PDT. Tickets will cost $175 each this year, an increase of $25 over last year's tickets. They always sell out in minutes, so plan to be at your computer tomorrow or Wednesday if you'd like to attend the event at the Anaheim Convention Center from Oct. 21-22.

If you have some extra money to spare, a limited number of tickets to an exclusive pre-BlizzCon Benefit Dinner will go on sale Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m. PDT. They will be priced at $500 each, with proceeds going to benefit the Children's Hospital of Orange County.

If you'd just like to watch from home, you will be able to order live internet and pay-per-view DIRECTV coverage for $39.99. Or you can simply watch the opening ceremony and eSports tournaments online for free.

Are you ready for the latest GameBreaker.TV World of Warcraft shows? Good, because they have two new episodes to share with you this week. In Legendary, hosts Gary Gannon, Josh "Lore" Allen and our own Mike B. aka Fony talk about the cross-realm dungeon feature being a premium service, the Encounter Journal and more. It all makes Gary a little angry.

As for the latest Blizz Blues, Darnell shares some of his Firelands experiences and some pro griefing tips. Watch both episodes below!

Have you ever wanted to run a dungeon with friends who are on different servers? It looks like you'll soon have that option, as long as you're Real ID friends and of the same faction. Here are the details from Community Manager Nethaera:

"With the continued popularity of the Dungeon Finder, many players have been asking for a way to group up with real-life friends who play on other realms to take on instances together. Today, we wanted to give you a heads up about a new feature currently in development that will allow players to invite Real ID friends (http://us.battle.net/en/realid/) of the same faction to a party regardless of the realm they play on, and then queue up for a 5-player regular or Heroic dungeon.

As this is a fairly complex service to develop, we don’t have a release date to share quite yet. It’s important to note that as with some of the other convenience- and connectivity-oriented features we offer, certain elements of the cross-realm Real ID party system will be premium-based, though only the player sending the invitations will need to have access to the premium service. We'll have more details to share with you as development progresses -- in the meantime, you may begin to see elements of the feature appear on the World of Warcraft PTR."

Yes, the post does state that the feature will cost money. What do you think? Would you pay for this service? You can discuss the topic in this thread in our World of Warcraft general forum.

Following the recent announcement that Diablo III's beta could kick off this summer, Blizzard has introduced the game's followers system:

"In Diablo III, going it alone is a valid option... but it’s not always the safest one. Having a brave companion at your side might not save you from the tearing claws of your enemies, but it can’t hurt to improve your odds. Fortunately, there are others in Sanctuary willing to risk life and limb to strike out at the nightmares sweeping the land - non-player characters that we call followers who’ll accompany you on your journey and join you into battle."

Check out the followers page for more details on the system, and watch the video below to see Kormac the Templar, Lyndon the Scoundrel, and Eirena the Enchantress in action.

In Blizzard latest Ask the Devs segment, they answer questions from players regarding professions. While the majority of the reponses aren't set in stone, they did confirm that Chaos Orbs will be unbound in a future patch.

You can read the full profession Q&A after the jump. The next Ask the Devs segment will focus on Firelands! Keep an eye out for the thread on the official forums at 4 p.m. PDT today, May 16.

A couple weeks ago, Blizzard gave players a sneak preview of some of the Tier 12 armor sets coming in patch 4.2. Today they updated the post with images of the shaman and warlock armor sets. Check them out below and discuss them in this thread in our World of Warcraft general forum.

It's time once again to check out the latest World of Warcraft shows from GameBreaker.TV. On this week's Legendary, hosts Gary Gannon, Josh "Lore" Allen and our own Mike B. aka Fony talk about the 2011 Arena Pass, Conquest Point changes, the "death of WoW" and more. As for Blizz Blues, Darnell hops on the PTR and checks out some of the Firelands content. Watch them both below!

During the recent Activision Blizzard earnings call, Blizzard Entertainment CEO Mike Morhaime mentioned that World of Warcraft subscriber levels had fallen to 11.4 million this March from its former peak of 12 million. In response, he said that Blizzard is currently looking at ways to reduce downtime between expansions.

The dip in subscription numbers shouldn't come as too much of a surprise with the March launch of Rift and the absence of a major WoW patch at that time. It's safe to say that the playerbase will continue to fluxuate, especially if Blizzard is able to churn out more content.

What do you think? You can discuss the topic in this thread in our WoW general forum.