UPDATE: Blizzard posted the following update on Feb. 19: "The changes to Aimed Shot and Aspect of the Hawk announced yesterday have not yet been applied to live realms and should not go into effect until after the holiday weekend."

Blizzard has posted its latest round of World of Warcraft hotfixes, and this batch includes some noteworthy changes for the Dungeon Finder and hunters. Here are the highlights:

• Blizzard already discussed the Dungeon Finder/Vote Kick changes, which are an attempt to "reduce some undesirable behavior and annoyances" when using the feature. These changes will require realm restarts to take effect.
• Hunter Aimed Shot damage has been decreased to approximately 160% weapon damage (at level 80+), down from 200%. Also, Aspect of the Hawk now provides around an additional 2000 attack power at level 85.
• For priests, Body and Soul no longer reduces the mana cost of Power Word: Shield (the hotfix made on February 16 to provide this additional benefit has been reverted).
• For warriors, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization (Arms passive) now gives 20% bonus damage with two-handed weapons, up from 10%.

Check out all the hotfixes after the jump and discuss them in this thread in our WoW general forum.

If you're a fan of World of Warcraft lore, you may want to head over to the official Expanded Universe page and check out the latest addition to the series of leader short stories. Here's the description:

"'Trade Secrets of a Trade Prince,' the third story in this series, takes us on a journey into the mind of Gallywix, one of the goblins' most exceptionally shrewd movers and shakers. Becoming a Trade Prince doesn't just happen overnight, and you certainly don't get your likeness carved into the side of a mountain by letting others push you around and take what's yours."

Check out "Gallywix: Trade Secrets of a Trade Prince" by Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie on the official site or download the PDF.

World of Warcraft's latest New Player Tips series is out and this time the topic is "Use Your Peripherals." Help new players sort out what, if any, of the mice, keyboards, and other game enhancing technology works for World of Warcraft!

"While key bindings and macros help players hone their gameplay crafts more effectively, even some of the most proficient gamers in the world will say that a specialized keyboard, mouse, or headset gives them a competitive edge. With so many peripherals on the market targeted at gamers, it can be daunting to decide what's right for your play style before making an investment."

So share some of your knowledge with a newer player. What advice you can offer to those who are new to peripherals?

Blizzard just announced some upcoming hotfixes that attempt to "reduce some undesirable behavior and annoyances" when using the Dungeon Finder. For example, players who are outside a dungeon for more than a few minutes are now immediately able to be kicked. Also, the penalty will be more severe for groups of friends who abuse the vote kick function.

The changes will likely be implemented during next Tuesday's maintenance. You can read them all after the jump. What are your thoughts?

The latest episodes of Legendary and Blizz Blues have been posted on GameBreaker.TV, and these two shows cover a wide variety of World of Warcraft topics.

In Legendary episode 16, GameBreaker.TV's Gary Gannon, ZAM's Mike B. aka Fony and TankSpot's Josh "Lore" Allen talk about patch 4.0.6a, the future of WoW e-Sports, a possible Blizzard-inspired theme park and more.

In Blizz Blues episode 5, Darnell talks about all the recent WoW changes that are getting under his skin and takes some time to answer questions from fans. If you want to know how Darnell gets the ladies, you need to watch the video.

Check out both episodes after the jump and head over to Gamebreaker.TV to watch even more gaming shows.

Blizzard just posted a lengthy blog post that outlines some tips to keep your account safe. While most of you hopefully already follow these guidelines, here they are:

• Never give out your account information.
• Be mindful of phishing scams.
• Don't use gold selling or power-leveling services.
• Grab an Authenticator.
• Install antivirus and anti-spyware software.
• Keep your operating system up-to-date.
• Keep your browser and browser plug-ins up-to-date.
• Turn on your browser's phishing filter.
• Read the "Help, I Got Hacked!" guide if your account is compromised.

As a reminder, GU Comics is currently hosting a contest to promote WoW account security. Submit a limerick by the end of the week for a chance to win a Battle.net authenticator.

UPDATE: These changes were implemented in the Feb. 16 batch of hotfixes.

Community Manager Nethaera just announced some incoming healer changes that will affect priests and shaman. Here are the main points:

• Priests: The cost of Power Word: Shield is being increased by 33% so Discipline priests don't completely rely on it more than other spells. In response, Blizzard is adding mana savings into the Body and Soul talent to make sure Holy priests don't notice much of a change.
• Shaman: Blizzard is buffing Purification for the Restoration shaman passive from 10% to 25%. Shaman healing per second is not as competitive with other healers, so this buff should help even the playing field.

For all the details, check out Nethaera's post after the jump, which also includes some discussion on Restoration druids.

Blizzard has posted its latest round of World of Warcraft hotfixes, and this batch drastically increases the amount of guild reputation and guild experience gained from killing a raid boss. Also, Arcane Blast for mages now costs 5% of base mana before stacking modifiers, down from 7%.

Keep reading after the jump for the complete list of hotfixes.

Today's installment of GU Comics pokes fun at World of Warcraft hackers and gold sellers, but it's actually a topic that resonates with creator Woody Hearn. His significant other recently reopened her WoW account and they scheduled time to play together last night, only to discover that her account had been suspended due to suspicious activity. Blizzard was ultimately able to resolve the situation this morning, and she has added an authenticator to her account.

In an effort to promote WoW account security, Hearn has teamed up with Blizzard to give away five Battle.net authenticators to some creative players. To enter, all you need to do is head over to this thread on the GU Forums and submit a limerick about account security. Hearn will pick five winners at the end of the week, so get to work on your entry!

If Hearn doesn't choose your limerick, you can still download a free Battle.net Mobile Authenticator for your phone or purchase a physical one for $6.50 in the Blizzard Store. Do you have an authenticator?

The latest batch of World of Warcraft hotfixes is now live. This short list focuses on squashing a few bugs and implements the Exalted title change that Blizzard recently discussed in-depth on the official forums. The requirement to earn the Exalted title has been reverted back to 40 reputations.

Check out the latest list of hotfixes after the jump.