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Contents 1 Palehoof (World of Warcraft Community MVP) 2 External Links: 3 RP - Character Background 4 RP - Resume Bullets

Palehoof (World of Warcraft Community MVP)

Palehoof is a frequent poster on the official forums for Blizzard Entertainment's MMORPG "World of Warcraft." Palehoof first began posting to the game forums in early 2005, where he made a quick name for himself. Posters alternately despise or respect Palehoof, depending on how they feel about the company Blizzard as well as Palehoof himself. Palehoof became widely known among the forum community for being an outspoken defender of the game and explainer of the policies governing it and the forums. Using strictly an "outside looking in" approach, Palehoof attempted to answer questions posed by the community to the staff of the game. Often, Blizzard staff are unable or unwilling to answer questions asked, and Palehoof would answer those questions in the format "I have seen them say..." or "The answer to that has always been..."

Palehoof would (and still does) often engage in extended arguments with other players. Palehoof is most often criticized for talking down to others, a charge he's never once denied. As the first year of the game's life wore on, Palehoof became a bit of an icon on the forums. Posters formed a brief but extensive group called "The Evangelical Church of the Hoof," while other posters launched a brief but passionate movement to have him banned from the forums on general principle.

In November of 2005, Blizzard announced the "MVP" program. This program recognizes those posters on the World of Warcraft Forums who have made an effort to improve or help the community out. The first four posters thus recognized were Trepas, Faizaniel, Hyacinth, and Palehoof. Each had different ways of dealing with people, and were, each of them, liked and disliked for their methods. Palehoof remained arguably the best known, being the most prolific as well as the most caustic of the four posters. Blizzard's MVPs were identified first by a light blue font, halfway between the "poster gray" and "staffer blue." Some months later the MVP posters received an upgrade: an animated forum avatar in the form of a devilsaur. Over time, additional MVPs were added to the program and some were removed. Blizzard has made distinctions between "Community MVP" posters, of which Palehoof is one, and "Tech Support" or "UI" MVPs, such as Iriel and Thunderwulf. In August of 2006, Blizzard released a new version of their forum software, and the MVPs received a new font, green, while retaining the devilsaur avatar.

Palehoof remains a frequent poster on the World of Warcraft forums. He lurks primarily on the General and Profession forums, as well as visiting other forums as time and opportunity present. He plays a Hunter almost exclusively within the game, and concentrates on the Engineering profession, Gnomish specialty. He remains a controversial poster as well, attacked as often as praised. He tries to maintain a sense of helpful assistance, with an undercurrent of biting wit.

His armory profile (as shown in link below) suggests that, through his reputation, he has little first hand experience with endgame raiding or organized PVP. This is a charge to which Palehoof regularly agrees, describing himself as a "standard issue Engineering Hunter with some Karazhan gear." It is often speculated that he uses his Palehoof profile mainly as a posting alt, and has a main with much more first hand experience in the game. Palehoof will immediately correct this if asked, saying that the Palehoof avatar is his main. He describes himself as a casual player, and has never apologized for it.

Palehoof has been routinely cited by other World of Wacraft posters as being more than a slight suck up. His posts and threads universally side with Blizzard and toe the party line, while parroting common-knowledge information posted by CMs (an example being a notable thread created by Palehoof in August of 2009 when he reminded players not to give their login information away to false Cataclysm beta trials). Palehoof is rarely quick-witted, and instead tends to employ straw-man tactics in order to answer critics. This behavior has turned him into easily the most controversial of the MVPs, and made him a sworn enemy of many players.

External Links:

Image Gallery: http://usera.imagecave.com/Palehoof/Palehoof

Alternate Race Models (Thanks, Engineering!): http://usera.imagecave.com/Palehoof/Oddhooves

Motivational Posters: http://usera.imagecave.com/Palehoof/Promotional/

Trading Card Game rewards: http://usera.imagecave.com/Palehoof/TCG/

Post History: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/search.html?forumId=10001&searchText=&characterName=Palehoof&recentPosts=0&x=36&y=17

World of Warcraft Armory Profile: http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Lightninghoof&n=Palehoof

RP - Character Background

Palehoof Geargrinder is the last of a clan of Tauren originally known as Stonehew. Two generations ago, a mysterious and long lost uncle "returned" to the clan bearing with him the secrets of Gnomish Engineering. The Stonehew took to it immediately, and the clan became known as Geargrinder.

The funny thing about that Uncle Geargrinder, no one had ever heard of him before. And no one recognized him, either, because he was swathed in bandages and robes from head to foot. According to the family legend, Uncle Geargrinder (no first name is ever mentioned, if you ask Palehoof what his famous uncle's first name was he unhesitatingly says "Uncle.") was in a tragic accident during his initial experiments. That accident deformed and scarred him, according to family legend. So Uncle Geargrinder returned to the clan standing 3'2" tall. His horns were blown off in the blast, and the smoke inhalation caused his voice to become high and squeaky. Uncle Geargrinder was so embarrassed by his deformity that he remained in his robes and bandages all of his days, and none of the tauren ever saw his face.

Clearly, Uncle Geargrinder was a gnome who pulled the wool over Palehoof's family's eyes. One can only assume Geargrinder was embarrassed by the ease with which this was done, if he was any sort of a decent person. A guildmate once asked Palehoof how his family had trusted Geargrinder since they never saw his face after the accident. "Oh, that made sense, though, since we'd never seen him before the accident as well!" The reasons the gnome had for living incognito in Thunder Bluff for many years are unknown, and an experiment in his later years made an end to him, all the family documents prior to his arrival, and many of them since.

From that auspicious base, the Geargrinder clan progressed handily in the realm of Gnomish Engineering. There was a brief period of time when the clan was thinned dramatically, but it recovered nicely. Palehoof's casual explanation of this is that after the clan began practicing Gnomish Engineering, many cousins disappeared for no apparent reason. "Odd, too, since they left all their clothes, including the ones they were wearing, but no note." Obvious to anyone but Palehoof, the Engineering trade did in a good many of his relatives before they hit the right note.

Having grown up reading Gnomish training manuals translated into Tauren, Palehoof speaks as though he has eaten a poorly translated technical journal and it is not agreeing with him. "Actually if you defragambulate the inhibitron, I think you'll see an uptick in the lateral perambulation of the Mechanostrider."

This history has also given Palehoof a great appreciation for Gnomes, as he has studied their work all his life. When seeing a gnome, Palehoof generally acts like an eager student, assuming every gnome who draws breath is a) interested in Engineering and b) willing to discuss it with a Tauren. Palehoof's always eager to show off his latest invention, and is usually overjoyed to see a gnome. Unfortunately, a gnome's reaction to a tauren running full speed at him waving a gun around and launching a battle chicken while yelling is not often positive, so Palehoof has seen a lot of spirit healers as a result of this. But he is as resilient as any Engineer needs to be, and never takes it personally when a gnome kills him. Palehoof has even taken to recruiting for a political action group called "Society of Taurens Opposed to Miniscules' Persecution," hoping to establish better trade relations with the gnomes. Sadly, S.T.O.M.P. has not had much luck in recruiting or establishing relations. It joins the Toadwright's Guild, and the Department for the Removal of Other Worldly Expressions, Language, Vernacular, and Even Names (D.R.O.W.E.L.V.E.N.) as organizations of which Palehoof is the founder and sole member. It is often observed that Palehoof gets the most out of his Engineering skills by quite literally making friends.

RP - Resume Bullets

Palehoof has mastered all professions he has undertaken, boasting a Grand Master ranking in Engineering, Mining, Fishing, Cooking, and First Aid. In Engineering particularly he boasts a wide range of schemata, including the matched pair of Lil' Smoky and Pet Bombling, the eclectic Lifelike Mechanical Toad, and the largely ornamental Crashin' Thrashin' Robot. Pursuit of these mechanical pets has also led Palehoof to obtain a Mechanical Chicken, a Rocket Chicken, a Mechano-peep, the plans for the Tranquil Mechanical Yeti, and a recently available Battle Bot.

Palehoof holds the key to Karazhan, as well as keys to Heroic levels of all five Burning Crusade instance hubs: Hellfire Citadel, Coilfang Reservoir, Auchindoun, Caverns of Time, and Tempest Keep.

Ever a gregarious sort, Palehoof has earned Exalted reputation with the Argent Dawn and Cenarion Circle, and has even helped out the small village of Tranquilien in the Eastern Kingdoms. While adventuring in Outland, Palehoof earned high honors from Cenarion Expedition, Keepers of Time, Netherwing, Ogri'la, Sporeggar, Consortium, Mag'har, and Thrallmar. Additionally, work with the people of Shattrath has earned Palehoof similar honor with Lower City, Sha'tari Skyguard, the Scryers, and the Sha'tar. Palehoof's reputation with the Consortium has also allowed him to earn him the key to Yor's Chamber in Heroic Mana Tombs.

Palehoof prides himself on being an "honorary Carny," and often says he is perhaps the most well respected player character by the Darkmoon Faire on Lightninghoof. Being a self professed carny, one might assume this claim is largely unsupported. His claims that he remains undefeated in the art of Steam Tonk combat are similarly reliable.

Since the way to Northrend was opened, Palehoof has continued to make friends across the land, being Exalted with the Argent Crusade, Kirin Tor, Knights of the Ebon Blade, and the Wyrmrest Accord, as well as the Kalu'ak and the Sons of Hodir. In between visits to the various dungeons of the northern continent, Palehoof is a known fan and jouster in the Argent Tournament, having earned the rank of Exalted Champion of the Horde, representing all cities of the Horde as an Exalted Champion.