World of Warcraft : expansion

Grizzly Hills added to WotLK environments

Xanae — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 01:26:46 GMT

The environments section of the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King website has been updated with Grizzly Hills, one of the many new regions you will be able to explore in the upcoming expansion.

The lush, primordial mountains of the Grizzly Hills are a stark contrast to the snowy peaks that separate it from the Howling Fjord to the south.

In the heart of this wild frontier lies the ancestral home of the furbolgs, Grizzlemaw. For generations the tribal furbolgs have worshipped a colossal prehistoric bear that roams the surrounding wilderness.

Although the gentle furbolgs have grown accustomed to living in relative peace, recent incursions have forced the ancient tribes to engage in battle...

Check it out here !

Wrath of the Lich King - Release later this year?

grevens — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 02:45:10 GMT

From a Danish forum I was able to obtain info regarding the marketing concerned with the release of the next WoW expansion. Alledgely someone involved in making banner commercials for large portals on the internet has been approached by Blizz marketing who wants them to have something ready to be posted from Nov. 1st this year and last until x-mas this year.

Accordingly this should mean that they plan to release the game no later than feb. 2008 and posibly even for x-mas.

I hope you guys are as excited about this news as I am :)

The article I'm linking to is in Danish unfortunately, but this does not change that the OP of the page is giving a 1st hand account of this "news".

/hugs

Edit: English Translation Added - Nimloth

I have a friend who works in a media agency that handles banner advertisements for various larger portals in Denmark.

He has informed me that they have gotten an inquery regarding the launch of WotLK in Denmark and running advertisements on Danish sites from the 1st of November until December 24th.

He also says that the expansion is slated to be in store shelves somewhere close to Christmas 2007, with the latest release as late as February 2008.

Personally, I think that this is pretty fast considering It hasnt even been a year since Burning Crusade was launched. But who knows, money makes the world go around and the christmas sales revenue is something everyone wants a piece of!

- Thomas

Wrath of the Lich King to implement Gyrocopters on PvP

meteo — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 23:01:08 GMT

The latest rumor in World of Warcraft's expansion Wrath of the Lich King are Gyrocopters on PvP. The traditionalist in me believes this will never happen, but it would have been cool indeed to have bombers overhead taking out the opposition in the arena.

The Gnomes seem really stoked about the introduction of these bombers in the game, as seen in the WoW Forums. Further stoking these rumors is Blizzard Moderator/Community Manager Nethaera response, who neither denied nor confirmed the addition of Gyrocopters in the game. Here's her answer to all the requests submitted by the Gnomes:

We shall see my little pocket gnome. We shall see. ;) I think you'll still all manage to blow yourselves up or get hangnail or something.

So there is a chance that the Gnomes will be taking to the skies in the game. If this were to be implemented, it's only fair that the Horde get their own method of attacking from the skies as well. It's either going to be Batriders or Wyverns, what would you pick?

WORLD OF WARCRAFT®: WRATH OF THE LICH KING™ UNVEILED

Kody — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 23:54:42 GMT

During the opening ceremony, Mike Morhaime invited Frank Pierce out to talk about World of Warcraft. He first talked about some upcoming live updates, and then gave us the news we've all been waiting for.

Blizzard today announced the second expansion for their award winning and record breaking game, World of Warcraft - titled World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. This new expansion offers a number of new features, including the first ever Hero Class in World of Warcraft: the Death Knight.

Features:

Continent of Northrend added.
Arthas - the new Lich King - commands his armies in a plot that threatens all life on Azeroth.
Level cap raised to 80.
Brand new abilities and talents for all classes.
New Arenas and Battlegrounds introduced for PvP.
Siege Weapons and Destructable Buildings added to the PvP landscape.
New Profession: Inscriptions - allows players to permenantly enhance spells and abilities.
All new character customization: Changeable hairstyles and new dances.
New instances for all playstyles: 5-person, 10-person, 25-person and Heroics all return.

Press Release wrote:

WORLD OF WARCRAFT®: WRATH OF THE LICH KING™ UNVEILED

Blizzard Entertainment® reveals new expansion for its popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game at BlizzCon™ gaming festival

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- August 3, 2007 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for the second expansion to World of Warcraft®, its award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Unveiled at the company’s BlizzCon™ gaming festival before an audience of more than 8,000 gamers, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King™ will open the forbidding wasteland of Northrend to exploration by the hardiest adventurers. New levels of power, challenging new dungeons and encounters, an exciting new character profession, and the game’s first hero class are just some of the new features awaiting players in Wrath of the Lich King.

“This expansion will add some of the most infamous characters and settings from the Warcraft® universe to World of Warcraft,” said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment®. “In addition to new story content, Wrath of the Lich King will introduce a number of features specifically requested by players over the past couple of years. We’re looking forward to sharing further details with everyone as development progresses.”

Players last visited Northrend in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne™, when Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner’zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful beings in the Warcraft universe. He now broods atop the Frozen Throne deep in Icecrown Citadel, clutching the rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge. In Wrath of the Lich King, the forces of the Alliance and the Horde will venture into battle against the Scourge amid Northrend’s howling winds and fields of jagged ice.

(more)

Building on the foundation established in World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King will add a rich variety of content to an already massive game. New features coming with the game’s second expansion include:

• Death Knight Hero Class: Create a high-level Death Knight character -- the game’s first hero class -- once certain challenges have been met.

• Increased Level Cap: Advance to level 80 and gain potent new talents and abilities along the way. • Northrend: Explore the harsh new continent of Northrend, packed with new zones, quests, dungeons, monsters, and items -- and do battle with the undead armies of the Lich King. • “Inscription” Profession: Learn this exciting new profession and gain unique ways to permanently enhance spells and abilities in the game. • Siege Weapons and Destructible Buildings: Take the battle to another level with new player-vs.-player game mechanics and new battlefields to wage war on. • New Character Customization: Change how characters look and express themselves, with different hairstyles and dance animations.

Since launching in November 2004, World of Warcraft has become the world’s most popular MMORPG, with a subscriber base of more than 9 million players. The game’s first expansion, The Burning Crusade, broke PC-game sales records in North America and Europe by selling nearly 2.4 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability and approximately 3.5 million copies in its first month. World of Warcraft is available in seven different languages and, in addition to North America and Europe, is played in mainland China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

For more information on World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, please visit Blizzard’s official website at www.WorldofWarcraft.com. To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions -- more information on available career opportunities at Blizzard can be found at http://jobs.blizzard.com.

(more)

World of Warcraft’s Subscriber Definition

World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees’ territories are defined along the same rules.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft and the Warcraft, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard’s track record includes ten #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

More Expansion Rumors: Death Knight Hero Class?!

net — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:32:15 GMT

New rumors are coming in about the next World of Warcraft expansion, and yet again they involve the continent of Northrend. It's very important to keep in mind that these are just rumors right now, but there has been a feature list found(in German - presumably for the Games Convention in Leipzig) as well as a FAQ. The FAQ is in English, and I've pasted some of the more pertinent pieces below. You'll want to check out wowszene.de for the full FAQ.

Features

The continent of Northrend added to the world of Azeroth. Northrend is about the size of Outland.
Content for players level 68 and up.
Level cap increased from 70 to 80.
Brand new abilities and talents introduced.
New "Hero" class added - the Death Knight; this class will need to be unlocked through certain criteria before it becomes available.
New Profession: Inscriptions - allowing you to permanently enhance spells and abilities.
Siege Weapons and Destructable Buildings added to the PvP landscape, as well as a new Battleground.
A plethora of new Dungeons, including 25-player Raid Dungeons and Heroic variants.
An abundance of new quests, monsters, items, and recipes.

FAQ for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

What are the features of the new expansion?

Wrath of the Lich King builds on the rich foundation established in World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade, providing a wealth of new content for players to explore. The harsh, forbidding continent of Northrend, home of the Lich King and his undead minions, will be uncovered on the world map, and to contend with the new challenges found there, players will be able to advance to level 80, acquiring potent new abilities and talents along the way.

In addition, Wrath of the Lich King will introduce the death knight hero class to World of Warcraft. Once certain criteria are met, players will be able to create a new death knight character, which will start at a high level. Furthermore, player-vs.-player battles will reach a new level of intensity with the addition of siege weapons and destructible buildings, not to mention a new battleground. There will also be an abundance of new quests, dungeons, monsters, items, and recipes -- as well as a new profession, inscription -- for players to try out. The expansion will include some additional character-customization options for players as well. We'll be going into more detail on all of these features in the months ahead.

How will the death knight class fit into the game?

The death knight combines martial prowess with dark, necromantic energies. Players might be familiar with the death knight from previously released Warcraft games -- most recently, in the campaigns for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and the Frozen Throne expansion, the former paladin Arthas became a death knight and wreaked havoc across Azeroth and Northrend before fusing with the spirit of Ner'zhul to become the Lich King. The death knight is the first hero class in World of Warcraft; once certain criteria are met, players will unlock the ability to create a new death knight character, which will begin play at a high experience level. We're currently exploring various options for how the death knight will play and the types of abilities at its disposal, and we'll be revealing more information about this new class as we get further along in development.

What role will the death knight play in groups and raids?

In general terms, the death knight can be considered a type of class that combines damage dealing and tanking, but naturally it will have an array of unique abilities as well.

What races will be allowed to play death knights?

We haven't yet made a final determination about which races can be death knights. However, the class will be available to both the Alliance and the Horde.

What is the story background of the expansion?

Players last visited Northrend in the Warcraft III expansion, when Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner'zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful entities in the Warcraft universe. He now broods atop the Frozen Throne, deep in Icecrown Citadel, clutching the rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge. In Wrath of the Lich King, the greatest champions of the Alliance and the Horde will do battle with the Scourge amid Northrend's howling winds and fields of jagged ice, and ultimately face the Lich King himself.

Will players actually get to encounter Arthas himself?

Players will be skirmishing with the minions of Arthas from the moment they set foot on Northrend. He will be a constant presence as players progress through the expansion content -- which will culminate in a showdown with the dread Lich King himself.

What can you reveal about Northrend?

The first area of Northrend we're showcasing is the Howling Fjord, a region of grasslands overlooking massive cliffs at the southeastern edge of the continent. This, along with the Borean Tundra, is the front line of the war against Arthas, and players will come face to face with his minions as soon as they set foot on Northrend. Eventually, as players progress further, they will explore the Grizzly Hills, Dragonblight, and more. We'll be showing off some of these new areas in the months ahead.

Expansion Rumors Abound!

Kody — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 02:56:57 GMT

Boubouille has done quite a bit of detective work the past day or two regarding the rumored World of Warcraft expansion that many expect will be announced at BlizzCon on Friday.

The past two days he's uncovered two very interesting tidbits of information. First, he found that the URL http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath returns a different error(403 - Forbidden) than typing in something completely random like http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/heydudes or http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/orcfood - both of which return 404 - Not Found errors.

Now he's found something else; the German website http://www.usk.de has something called "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (GC-Demo)" listed on the website. The GC obviously stands for the upcoming Games Convention, held in Leipzig, Germany from August 23rd to August 26th.

As of right now these are strictly rumors, but this should certainly spark quite a bit of debate!

Burning Crusade Expansion FAQ

Liselle — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 17:05:08 GMT

When is the official launch time for the Burning Crusade?

The official launch time is 12:00 AM (midnight) EST on January 16th.

What time will I be able to log in and play BC?

You will be able to log in and play as soon as you have purchased your copy of the Burning Crusade, installed it, and activated your key. Many retailers will be open at midnight. Please check with your local store for more information.

Players will be able to play the expansion as of the official launch time.

Blizzard will also be participating in midnight sales and signings at several California locations. For more information visit the following link: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/misc/wowx-midnight.xml

Alternatively, for our European readers:

Will I need to install from the CD? Why?

It will be necessary to have a Burning Crusade CD and a Burning Crusade authentication key in order to play The Burning Crusade expansion. There is content on the Burning Crusade CD that will need to be installed that was not included in the patches we recently released. Each account (in the event multiple are played by one person) will need its own copy of The Burning Crusade expansion to install the additional content, and be upgraded with the included authentication key.

Will I need to patch after I install from the CD?

Yes, the patch released after the game was completed (2.0.0-to-2.0.3) will need to be reapplied once the expansion is installed. If you’ve deleted that patch from your computer then it is possible that you will need to download it again.

If I have the beta already, do I need to delete the beta and install fresh?

When the game goes live, you will need to uninstall your beta client before installing the expansion. Use your computer's Add or Remove Programs function to remove it. If you do not see the beta listed there, just simply delete the Burning Crusade Closed Beta folder. Remember to back up any screenshots or UI settings that you may want to keep.

Where do I need to enter my key when upgrading? Is it through the client or on the website in Account Management?

You will need to enter your key at the Account Management page to upgrade your account to access The Burning Crusade. We will have a link on the main site for players to access it.

I play on two accounts. Will I be able to upgrade both accounts with one key?

No. You will need to upgrade each account you play on with a different key.

If I bought a Collector’s Edition but upgrade with a regular key, will I be able to upgrade to the CE version later?

No, you won’t. Once you enter a key for the upgrade, the option to enter a key will be gone and you will not be able to upgrade using the Collector’s Edition key.

Will I be able to get the new Collector's Edition pet on all of my characters or only my new characters?

All of the characters attached to the upgraded account will be able to use the new Collector's Edition pet.

I share a computer with someone else; will that person still be able to play if I upgrade but they don’t?

Yes. You will both be able to play as you normally would. The other person will not have access to the Burning Crusade content until the account he or she plays on is upgraded with a Burning Crusade key.

Can I just buy a key online and download?

We are not offering online purchase or download of The Burning Crusade at this time.

Will there be Tuesday Maintenance, or will I be able to play without planned downtime?

There will be no scheduled maintenance for release day, though should it be deemed necessary, we may have rolling restarts.

Will the realms be brought down prior to the release of The Burning Crusade?

No. We do not have any plans to bring down the realms prior to the release of The Burning Crusade. Players will be able to continue playing without interruption.

Will I need to leave my CD in the drive in order to play?

Once you have the expansion installed, you will not be required to have the CD in your drive to play.

I won’t have access to my CDs due to being away from home. Will I be able to upgrade the account I play on?

You will be able to upgrade the account; however, until you install from the CDs, you will not be able to play.

Will everyone receive a free respec upon release of the expansion?

No. There will be no free respecs with the release of the expansion.

Will honor points be reset to zero upon release of the expansion?

No. Players will be able to retain their current honor points.

Will new realms be opened when the expansion is released?

We are planning to open new realms with the release of The Burning Crusade, but we do not have any specifics to share at this time.

Once I install the expansion, can I go to Outland, and how do I get there?

The Dark Portal, the gateway to Outland, is located in The Blasted Lands. The only requirements to enter Outland are that you have installed the Burning Crusade expansion, have upgraded the account you play on with the Burning Crusade authentication key, and your character is level 58 or higher.

Will there be some sort of big ending to the Dark Portal Event that is going to happen at midnight? I don’t want to miss it if I’m in line getting my copy of the expansion.

There will be no final event as a part of the Dark Portal event. The event will run until the release of the expansion at which point players who have upgraded to the expansion will be able to go through the Dark Portal.

Signings

Waywinkle — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 06:54:06 GMT

The folks over at the Blizzard development team are scheduled to appear in four locations in California for a limited amount of signings at the midnight release of their upcoming expansion.

I for one am heading to pickup my copy at midnight and also taking some pictures of the release party at my local gamestop

WOW: The Burning Crusade in Stores January 16, 2007

Werik — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:20:26 GMT

Today Blizzard Entertainment announced that the eagerly anticipated expansion pack of World of Warcraft will be available in stores nationwide on January 16, 2007.

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade will be available at retail stores nationwide for Windows® 2000/XP and Macintosh® formats at a suggested retail price of $39.99. A special Collector's Edition of the expansion will also be available, at a suggested retail price of $69.99. This limited-edition package will include:

The expansion on both CD-ROM and DVD
The Art of the Burning Crusade coffee table book
An exclusive in-game pet
A behind-the-scenes DVD
A World of Warcraft Trading Card Game starter deck and exclusive cards
A map of Outland mouse pad
The official soundtrack CD.

The World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade expansion requires the original World of Warcraft game, which is now selling for a suggested retail price of $19.99. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade has received a Teen rating from the ESRB.