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World of Warcraft - All News

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Tuesday - July 26, 2022
Thursday - February 24, 2022
Wednesday - December 09, 2020
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Box Art

Tuesday - July 26, 2022

WoW - Wrath of the Lich King: Release in September

by Hiddenx, 18:03

Bluenews reports that Blizzard will release Wrath of the Lich King Classic on September 26:

 WoW: Wrath of the Lich King Classic in September

Blizzard announces World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic will launch on September 26th. This will give nostalgic World of Warcraft players the chance to roll back the clock and once again kick some Arthas while recalling Blizzard's glory days as a beloved developer. The expansion will re-launch on all World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic realms, and it will be open to anyone with an active World of Warcraft subscription.
As usual, this will include some ways for players experience some of this with less playing: "In the lead-up to launch, players can experience Joyous Journeys, a 50%-bonus-XP event that will run until Wrath of the Lich King Classic’s September 26 launch.
Prior to release, all WoW subscribers will be granted the ability to create one Death Knight per Classic realm, which they can bring to level 70 through Burning Crusade Classic™ content until September 26. In addition, players will also be able to purchase optional upgrades, including new cosmetic items and a level-70 character boost for those who might not yet have a fully leveled character."

[...]

Thanks Redglyph!

Thursday - February 24, 2022

WoW - Last Update for Shadowlands

by Redglyph, 12:57

COG reported that World of Warcraft: Shadowland was to receive its last major update.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT ROLLED OUT LAST MAJOR UPDATE FOR SHADOWLANDS

World of Warcraft devs just rolled out their last major update for the game’s latest expansion, Shadowlands. Patch 9.2, otherwise called Eternity’s End, brings a lot of new content to the franchise. One of the key additions would be brand new zone Zereth Mortis which is the home of a new action called The Enlightened.

Zereth Mortis is an opportunity for us to dig even deeper into the crazy universe that we have already seen with Shadowlands but then really take it to the next level,” said Game Director Ion Hazzikostas. “We were intrigued by the idea of keeping this place mysterious while also giving some bread crumbs and things for players to figure out.”

This new World of Warcraft zone looks to be pretty promising. The patch also adds the Afterlives Forge. It will allow players to craft their own mounts and battle pets. It is a “powerful instrument of creation” that was left behind by the franchise’s progenitor species.

Zereth Mortis will also involve learning a new in-game language. The automatons speak a “musical language that is incomprehensible to mortal races.” With that said, World of Warcraft players will have to team up with an automa sidekick so they could learn this language. By doing so, they can easily unlock new events, zone activities, and daily quests.

“We ended up focusing on the building blocks of the universe and sacred geometry,” Hazzikostas continued. “You will see that woven into the landscape here, in the denizens, in the creatures.”

By the sound of it, it would seem that this update is pretty much wrapping up the Shadowlands expansion. That is, until the time that Blizzard is ready to discuss what they have in store for World of Warcraft. With that said, devs are hopeful that this is “the thrilling conclusion to Shadowlands” that fans are expecting.

Wednesday - December 09, 2020

WoW - Shadowlands becomes the fastest-selling PC Game

by Hiddenx, 19:33

World of Warcraft is still the #1 MMO:

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands becomes the fastest-selling PC game of all time

Who said World of Warcraft was dead?

In a recent investor report, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands publisher Activision says that the latest expansion to the popular MMO is now the fastest-selling PC game ever, racking up 3.7 million sales on its first day alone.

Shadowlands beats out the previous title holder, Diablo III (also produced by Blizzard Entertainment), which sold 3.5 million copies on its first day.

[...]

Source: Techradar

Thanks Porcozaur!

Tuesday - August 27, 2019

WoW - Classic Version Released

by Myrthos, 13:02

The classic version of World of Warcraft has been released yesterday and is supposed to give you back the game of World of Warcraft, before the updates came in.

From Wikipedia: Classic recreates the game in the state it was in after patch 1.12.1, September 2006, before the launch of The Burning Crusade expansion. The maximum level of the player characters is set to 60, all expansion content is absent, and all the gameplay mechanics of the original version have been exactly replicated. As the game's multiple expansions have dramatically changed the gameplay since the launch version, Classic greatly differs from the modern version of the game. 

Thanks Porcozaur.

Thursday - May 07, 2015

WoW - Subscribers Drop to 7 Million

by Myrthos, 12:53

Lostforever noticed on HardcoreGamer that the number of subscribers to World of Warcraft has dropped to about 7 million. I think loads of MMOs would be very happy with such a number, but WoW once had a lot more.

Wednesday - April 08, 2015

WoW - Tokens Now Live Update

by Couchpotato, 00:32

Blizzard announced on Battle.net that tokens for World of Warcraft are now live.

loading...

The WoW Token is almost here, and we’ve put together an overview to show you how it works. Check out the video below for a closer look at the process of acquiring and trading Tokens and gold.

Tuesday - March 03, 2015

WoW - Developer Q&A Video

by Couchpotato, 17:47

Blizzad released a new Developer Q&A Video on Battle.net

loading...

Lead Game Designer Ion "Watcher" Hazzikostas sat down with Community Manager Josh "Lore" Allen Friday, February 27 to answer Raid and Dungeon-related questions submitted by the community.

Sunday - January 18, 2015

WoW - Adding Free-to-play for Veterans

by Couchpotato, 04:00

Cnet has information that Blizzard has released a Free-to-play version for Veterans. There was always talk about the MMO going F2P, and this version will have restrictions.

After hitting a low point of 6.8 million subscribers in the first half of 2014, World of Warcraft saw numbers skyrocket back up to over 10 million following the release of the Warlords of Draenor expansion in November 2014.

The massive multiplayer online game has always traditionally been subscription-based, but it seems that Blizzard may be trying to think of ways to lure back even more of those subscribers who may have let their subscriptions lapse.

The patch notes for 6.1, the latest iteration of the game, include a new account type called "Veteran Edition" that has similar restrictions to "Starter Edition" accounts -- that is, the free trial account that lets you play the game for free, up to a point.

On a Starter Edition account, players can only reach level 20 (of a possible 100), collect a maximum of 10 gold, and have other restrictions, particularly on social interaction, on what they can and can't do in the game.

Sunday - December 14, 2014

WoW - Warlords of Draenor Review

by Aubrielle, 20:12

Pixel Dynamo put together a review for WoW's latest cash cow expansion, Warlords of Draenor.  I was astonished at how little I knew about it.

The new expansion returns players to Draenor, the ancestral homeworld of the Orcs and Draenei, as it once was. Previously, we had explored the shattered remains of the planet in the form of Outland, the playing field for the game’s first expansion, The Burning Crusade. Garrosh Hellscream, the deposed Warchief of the Horde and resident bloodthirsty antagonist of Mists of Pandaria, has conspired with dark forces once again to travel back in time to an alternate reality 35 years prior and successfully prevents his father, Grommash, from drinking demon’s blood and turning the Orcish Horde into the bloodthirsty minions of the evil Burning Legion. In doing so, he unites the Orc clans under one banner and with a resolve to conquer Azeroth for themselves, not for any demon overlords.

warlords-of-draenor-grommash

This means that Warlords of Draenor takes players back to the era of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. We are re-united (or for some players, finally introduced) to heroes of legend – Durotan, Ner’zuhl, Gromm, Doomhammer, Blackhand, Kargath Bladefist, Gul’dan…the band is back together again. This change in story and tone is a huge success and timed with the 10th anniversary, Warlords is filled with a sense of deep nostalgia and history that elevates it from the moment you see the beautiful opening cinematic.

More information.

Source: Pixel Dynamo

Thursday - November 20, 2014

WoW - Subscriber Count Spikes Following Draenor Release

by Aubrielle, 05:28

World of Warcraft, like the common cold, refuses to die.  Subscriber numbers have spiked following the launch of their latest expansion.

We reported back in October that the World of Warcraft subscriber base was sitting at 7.4 million, but with the arrival of the Warlords of Draenor expansion last week that number has surpassed 10 million.

It's a familiar pattern with expansion releases: indeed, the same thing happened when Mists of Pandaria released, pointing to the logic behind Blizzard's desire to annualise expansion roll-outs. Still, the pattern indicates that World of Warcraft isn't going away any time soon. The expansion pack itself has sold a whooping 3.3 million copies already.

While the numbers are impressive, the Warlords of Draenor expansion was beset with launch difficulties fairly uncommon to Blizzard. Widespread problems accessing overcrowded servers has prompted the studio to reward players with five days of free access.

We published our Warlords of Draenor review in progress last week, with a final verdict arriving soon. I spoke to designer Ion Hazzikostas last month to coincide with the MMO's tenth anniversary. He thinks the game has another ten years in it.

More information.

Source: PC Gamer

Wednesday - November 19, 2014

WoW - Blizz Apologizes For Bad Draenor Launch

by Aubrielle, 06:30

In what may be a surprising gesture of humility and honesty, Blizzard apologizes for the botched launch of Warlords of Draenor and offers five days' game time to compensate.

Blizzard is so, so sorry for the expansion launch issues -- and it is trying to make things right.

This is the word from World of Warcraft Executive Producer J. Allen Brack, who issued a public mea culpa on the forums for the problems with Warlords of Draenor's launch. "The quality of the content does not excuse the subpar launch experience we delivered, and I apologize for that," Brack wrote.

He outlined the events and studio response over the past weekend, saying that the team is expanding its instancing tech to reduce queues on realms. To compensate players for their troubles, Brack said that Blizzard is giving five days of game time for all subscribers as of last Friday.

More information.

Source: Massively

Thursday - November 13, 2014

World of Warcraft - Interview @ IncGamers

by Couchpotato, 03:17

Eric Bruce of IncGmaers had the chance to interview Technical Director Marco Koegler of Blizzard, and ask a few questions about World of Warcraft.

Over the weekend IncGamers caught up with Marco Koegler, technical director for World of Warcraft.  For this interview we invited along Dr. Andras Becht – he’s an economist, and he has a PhD so he’s really smart – and Dr. Dana Herrera, an anthropologist. They’re both from St. Mary’s College in the Bay Area and they had many, many questions to ask regarding Warlords of Draenor and WoW in general.

Sunday - November 02, 2014

WoW - Interview @ Ausgamers

by Couchpotato, 05:11

Ausgamers interviewed Blizzard's Ion Hazzikostas to talk about Warlords of Draenor as they prepare for the games fifth expansion in the last ten years.

AusGamers: What do you think is the reason why World of Warcraft is still one of the most popular games people are playing 10 years on?

Ion: I think two reasons. There’s probably far more than that but to me there are two that stand out. First thing is the people themselves are a big reason. One of the magical things about the game is the bonds and the friendships that it [has] formed. We have BlizzCon coming up in just a couple of weeks, and one of the most exciting things about BlizzCon is seeing these gatherings of people who are meeting, often for the first time -- these groups of guild mates that have spent hours talking on voice chat, finally putting faces to voices. In many cases forming friendships that will last a lifetime, spouses that have met through playing World of Warcraft, and that is an honour for us to have been a part of creating a game that creates these bonds that keep people together – the game-world is an integral part of that.

Sunday - October 26, 2014

WoW - New Australian Servers & FAQ

by Couchpotato, 04:09

Well if you live in Australian and still play World of Warcraft thew following information is good news. It seems Blizzard will launch new servers, and posted a new FAQ.

We are pleased to announce that the upcoming deployment of Australian World of Warcraft game servers ahead of the games next expansion, Warlords of Draenor. This new infrastructure will support Australia and New Zealand and should provide a significant smoother gameplay experience for players in the region.

Players currently on an Oceanic realm—Barthilas, Frostmourne, Thaurissan, Saurfang, Caelestrasz, Jubei'Thos, Khaz'goroth, Aman'Thul, Nagrand, Dath'Remar, Dreadmaul, and Gundrak—should automatically experience improved latency once the new game servers go live. To help those currently adventuring on North American realms, such as Blackrock and Proudmoore, optional free character and guild master realm transfers will be offered for a limited time.

Wednesday - October 15, 2014

Warlords of Draenor - Interview Roundup

by Couchpotato, 04:19

If any of you are still playing World of Warcraft then I have a two new interviews I found this week you might be interested in reading. The first interview is from Eurogamer.

At the end of last week, we had a chance to speak with lead designer Ion Hazzikostas, and ask whether this pruning of content - viewed alongside the historical simplification of systems like character talent trees - justifies community concerns that the game is being simplified just a little too much.

"Yeah this is something I see and hear - the dumbing down complaints. The reality is that I think there's more depth to playing WOW - and to excelling in WOW - than ever before," he says. "If the game was dumbed down, you wouldn't see the best arena players in the world standing so consistently above even the people who are above the top one per cent. You wouldn't see the same handful of guilds consistently crushing their competition in the top 100. There's tremendous room to be skilful - to customise your character and engage in these systems.

The second interview if from Ausgamers with Blizzard's Tom Chilton.

AusGamers: My first impression, when I first saw Warlords of Draenor, was the feeling that World of Warcraft was really going back to its roots and rediscovering or reintroducing that real traditional Warcraft feeling to the series. And I’ve noticed quite a few other people who haven’t even played for years are looking at coming back for just that reason, so its definitely struck a chord. I was just wondering, was that always the plan? To do a kind of return, of sorts, to those oldschool Warcraft characters, for the 10th anniversary and everything?

Tom Chilton: Yeah, it certainly was. I mean the 10th anniversary was part of it, but its also the fact that we knew when we were doing Mists of Pandaria that we were very deliberately going with a different theme. And we did that because we had done multiple expansions that were very Warcraft-y, build up and destroy the world kind of stuff, and we really wanted to do something that was a bit more adventure-y. And I can imagine us doing that again at some point in the future, because you need those things to break up the pacing, but certainly coming back to these really core Warcraft themes for this expansion was very deliberate.

Saturday - July 05, 2014

WoW - Why I'm Still Playing the MMO

by Couchpotato, 05:15

Gamegrin editor Ashyko has written a new article where he wrote why he is still playing World of Warcraft. I know a few members have played the game on our site also.

World of Warcraft’s fifth expansion, Warlords of Draenor, will likely be released sometime in December of 2014 (just in time for the holidays). With the upcoming expansion of the top selling massively multiplayer online game, many conversations about the declining player base and the direction the game has taken have begun anew. As a somewhat veteran player (I’ve been playing for four years now), I debated on whether to spend the $60 on pre-purchasing the expansion (with the special pre-order mount and pet). After much soul searching, the burning desire to accumulate more achievements won out, and my digital purchase was made. There are lots of reasons to play World of Warcraft (WoW), but the ultimate reason remains the same as always, WoW has one of the most exciting and dynamic storylines in all of gaming. Warlords of Draenor will take that story one step further. 

While there is plenty of room to debate over the coming stats squish, the removal of some of the secondary stats, the changing of glyphs (what will be the point of inscription now?), and the removal of “extra” abilities, the coming expansion will also bring a new and dynamic twist to the storyline. We will have new ways to engage with the story through garrisons and the recruiting of NPCs to our cause. Rather than feeling the rush to level to end game content as fast as possible, I’m excited to let myself be immersed in the world that gave birth to the race that is the heart of the conflict in the story of the world I love, Azeroth.

Thursday - January 30, 2014

WoW - Azeroth by the Numbers

by Couchpotato, 01:13

Blizzard has released some new infographics with stats for World of Warcraft.

From the rise of Onyxia to the fight for Pandaria, more than 100 million of you across the globe have visited Azeroth since the first realms went live in 2004. We’ve gathered some epic statistics to show what you’ve been up to all this time.

Curious about the faction breakdown among the 500 million characters you’ve created? Wonder how many instances your fellow adventurers run every day, or which pet is the most popular? Take a look at World of Warcraft’s first official infographic below for some fun and surprising never-before-seen facts about the game.

We hope everyone enjoys this glimpse at the inner workings of Azeroth—feel free to find and share it on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for being a part of World of Warcraft’s history, and here’s to new adventures with you in Warlords of Draenor!

If you'd like to view the infographic in a separate window, click here.

Sunday - December 15, 2013

WoW - The Feast of Winter Veil

by Couchpotato, 04:33

If your still one of the millions of players playing World of Warcraft Blizzard has announced the starting date of the The Feast of Winter Veil.

The Feast of Winter Veil Begins December 16

The later seasons of Azeroth are marked as a time of change in many cultures. The term "Winter Veil" is said to stem from a supernatural being referred in many cultures to as Greatfather Winter. As he would walk the land late in the seasons, winter itself would be his billowing cloak. In his wake was the blanketing of the land in snow, and thus it is said that Greatfather Winter would cast his wintry veil over the land.

The idea of feasting during this time of year is one that traces its origins to the legend itself. As Greatfather Winter walked Azeroth, it is said he would provide a bounty for those who welcomed his presence.

As such, the idea of feasting during the winter veil would bring together communities as they shared whatever they had. Typically, a single day of merriment and feasting welcomed the change, all in anticipation of the land's renewal.

Monday - November 25, 2013

WoW - Happy 9th Anniversary

by Couchpotato, 04:09

Blizzard has a new post announcing that World of Warcraft is now nine years old.

It’s been nine years since World of Warcraft opened its gates—nine years since fledgling heroes from all walks of life spoke to their first quest giver and began their journey through Azeroth, unaware of where those first steps would ultimately take them.

Nine years is a long time for any voyage, and we couldn’t have hoped for a more dedicated and passionate community to come on this adventure with us. World of Warcraft wouldn’t be what it is today without you: the players who celebrate your passion for the game every day and share your own Azeroth-enhancing contributions with one another. From creating awe-inspiring costumes for BlizzCon to talking complex raid strategies on podcasts, from building fansites to making amazing machinima, the World of Wacraft community has forged a culture and language uniquely its own.

While our primary quest remains to create an epic world for you all to enjoy, we’ve also joined you in the trenches on our own journeys to become heroes of Azeroth. From the very beginning, we’ve engaged in endless battles on the fields between Southshore and Tarren Mill and faced Onyxia in her lair. We knew we needed “more DoTs” and there were many whelps, and we handled it together—carrying off truly epic loot for our efforts.

Thursday - November 14, 2013

WoW - Recruit A Friend Program

by Couchpotato, 00:47

Blizzard has released more information on its Recruit A Friend Program, and it's new rewards for those that participate.

Recruit A Friend Program Offers New Rewards

The Recruit A Friend program is back and better than ever! Now you can choose from 8 different mount and pet rewards—including the brand-new Emerald Hippogryph—and enjoy leveling benefits all the way to level 85.

The upgraded Recruit A Friend allows you to email friends and family members Starter Edition activation keys for World of Warcraft from directly within the game. To get started, simply open up your in-game Friends List and click the new Recruit A Friend button.

A Treasure Trove of Rewards

Similar to the old system, after a recruited friend purchases 1 month of World of Warcraft game time, the veteran player (aka the recruiter) will get 1 month of free World of Warcraft game time within approximately 7 days of the receipt of payment. In addition, approximately one week after a recruit successfully purchases two months of game time, the veteran player will be able to select one of the following epic pet and mount rewards to permanently add to their collection. Recruit enough friends, and you’ll eventually be able to snag them all

​In-Game Benefits

To help you and your recruit take on the challenges of Azeroth together, players who participate in the Recruit A Friend program will enjoy the following in-game benefits for up to 90 days:

- Recruit and veteran characters can summon one another to each other's locations.

- While adventuring with your linked friend or family member, you will each gain triple experience while partied up to level 85, as long as your characters are within 4 levels of each other.

- For every two levels the recruit's characters earn, one grantable level is gained. Recruit characters may then grant these levels to the veteran player's character as long as the character is lower in level than the level-granting character.

Monday - November 11, 2013

WoW - Blizzard Rules Out F2P

by Couchpotato, 00:22

In a short interview on Eurogamer from BlizzCon 2013 comes the news World of Warcraft will not be going F2P. The reason just ask the seven million current subscribers.

Blizzard has ruled out making massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft free-to-play.

With the current trend for free-to-play coupled with WoW's falling subscriber numbers, some have expected Blizzard to bite the bullet and make its gargantuan MMO F2P.

But, speaking with Eurogamer at BlizzCon last night, key WoW developers insisted such a move was off the table.

"We didn't make the game to be free-to-play," production director J Allen Brack said.

"We would have to rework the game pretty significantly in order to make it free-to-play. It's not something we're currently considering."

While World of Warcraft remains a subscription-based game, it is in part free-to-play. The first 20 levels of the game are free as part of the Starter Edition - a feature that was seen as WoW'S first step on the road to full F2P.

This week Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime announced WoW had shed another 100,000 subscribers over the last three months. It now has around 7.6 million subscribers.

While subscriber numbers have reduced steadily over recent years, World of Warcraft remains the world's most popular subscription MMO nine years into its life, and Blizzard said it was investing more resources into its ongoing development than ever before.

"Player response to the content has been good, and we saw increased engagement that has contributed to maintaining relatively stable subscribership quarter-over-quarter," Morhaime said.

"We'll continue to invest heavily in World of Warcraft to deliver frequent, high-quality content to our players."

He added: "But in terms of the content and developing, we have more resources focused on developing content for World of Warcraft than ever before. So we expect to continue having a long and happy life."

Saturday - November 02, 2013

WoW - Editorial @ Eurogamer

by Couchpotato, 00:36

Eurogamer has posted the next article in it's "Games of the Generation" series this week, and the lucky game this time is World of Warcraft.

You can never go back. Or can you?

It's a defining characteristic of this generation that most of the games in our list play differently now than they did at launch. Bugs have been fixed, classes rebalanced, level caps raised, new content and modes added. The internet has even reached into solo experiences like Bethesda's RPGs and synced them with the remorseless march of time. If such a thing as final cut ever existed in video games, it's gone now. You can still experience most of the original versions if you try, but you'll have to try: wipe that install, delete that save data, unplug the router.

For World of Warcraft, though, that's all but impossible. Blizzard's mighty online world is now almost unrecognisable as the game that, just before the new consoles launched, heralded the dawn of a new age - the age, in the term coined by Valve's Gabe Newell and parroted by an army of publishing executives, of "games as a service". Not only has WOW undergone constant evolution in mechanics, design and philosophy over the last nine years, but its original content is gone. Wiped from the servers, never to return.

It was swept away by the broom of 2010's Cataclysm expansion, which exhaustively redesigned two continents' worth of dungeons and questing, in many places from scratch. This is a game that now contains nostalgic references to an earlier version of itself. Cataclysm was unpopular with WOW players - mostly for other reasons to do with its endgame - but it still might be the single most extraordinary thing I've seen a games developer do in my decade or so writing about games.

Wednesday - October 30, 2013

WoW - Now Includes All Expansions

by Couchpotato, 04:28

Blizzard announces that the game will now include every expansion expect Pandaria.

World of Warcraft Now Includes All Expansions Up To and Including Cataclysm

World of Warcraft now incorporates the original game with The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm expansions making it easier than ever for new players to get started in Azeroth. The new retail box, formerly known as the Battle Chest, will start hitting shelves in Europe today, 29th October.

The box includes the game discs, an updated Official Beginner’s Guide and a Quickstart Guide for new players.

World of Warcraft is available in seven European languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian).

The suggested retail price for World of Warcraft is £9.99 (DVD) or alternatively the digital version can be purchased directly from Battle.net here.

You were meant for this world.

Thursday - September 19, 2013

WoW - Suffers More Losses

by Couchpotato, 00:07

MMO-Play has a new article with information that World of Warcraft has reportedly suffered a 54% drop in revenue in the past 7 months.

Troubling news for Azeroth's inhabitants; World of Warcraft has reportedly suffered a 54% drop in revenue in the past 7 months.

The Blizzard giant is well known for its unrivaled, long-lasting success, and has won awards and reported huge success for nine years, still gathering critical acclaim as recently as last year for its Mists of Pandaria expansion. However, with the dawn of free MMORPG games upon us, basing their revenue on sheer traffic and micro-transactions, the subscriber-oriented MMO is beginning to wane.

The audit, carried out by Superdata Research indicated a drop at the end of financial Quarter 1 of $93million, down from $204million, following the launch of Mists of Pandaria. It's fair to say that the Pandaria launch would have spiked income, but a drop of $111million shows that it may lack sticking power, despite its rave reviews.

 

Monday - August 26, 2013

WoW - Blizzard Not Oppposed to F2P

by Couchpotato, 00:07

In a new article with Polygon Lead Designer Tom Chilton said Blizzard has no problem turning Warcraft into a F2P MMO.

Blizzard is no longer opposed to the idea of re-inventing the MMO as a free-to-play title, Chilton added, although the team is still unsure of the success rate of free-to-play games over time.

"For Blizzard it makes sense [to go free-to-play] at some point. But a lot of the risk is in making that transition. You hear stories about developers going free-to-play and getting double the number of players, but you don't always know it works out that way and how long it stays that way. We really don't know what the rate is before people drop off and lose interest."

Monday - August 19, 2013

WoW - Siege of Orgrimmar Video

by Couchpotato, 00:06

Blizzard has released a new video for the Siege of Orgrimmar in the new 5.4 patch.

The official trailer for World of Warcraft Patch 5.4: Siege of Orgrimmar.

Garrosh Hellscream's treacherous excavation of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms has finished with sinister results -- not just for Pandaria, but for all Azeroth.

In a compound beneath Ragefire Chasm, Garrosh has infused his followers -- the 'true Horde' -- with the pilfered essence of the Old God Y'shaarj. With the power of a primordial world-twisting force at his command, Garrosh can rebuild the Horde in his image: strong, obedient, and, most importantly, 'pure'.

Vol'jin's attempts to lead Horde rebels into the capital of Orgrimmar haven't gone unnoticed -- and the mightiest heroes of the Alliance have stepped in to siege one of their enemies' most prized cities. Will the Alliance be content with overthrowing a despot, or will they crush the Horde at one of the most vulnerable points in its history?

Saturday - July 27, 2013

WoW - Loses 600K Subscribers

by Couchpotato, 01:06

Pixelenemy has news that World of Warcraft is losing subscribers. While it's nothing to worry about yet it lends proof that the game will be becoming F2P eventually.

World of Warcraft’s steadily declining subscriber base has dropped by 600,000 worldwide in four months, leaving the popular fantasy MMO at 7.7 million players.

In March, World of Warcraft had 8.3 million $15 a month subscribers (detailed definition below), a drop from February’s 9.6 million.

Saturday - July 13, 2013

WoW - Free Character Moves

by Couchpotato, 00:52

For those of you still playing World of Warcraft Blizzard announces free character transfers are underway ending on July 25th.

If you're on one of the source realms listed below, you can move your characters to one of the designated destination realms and avoid the queues -- for free!

By initiating one of these transfers, you will be moving your character to a new realm and home. This is a one-time, one-way move. If you wish to move your character elsewhere, you will need to use the paid transfer service.

Please be aware that, due to the unpredictable nature of free transfers, we may close down any Free Character Moves at any time and without warning if the target realm becomes full. If you plan to move with friends or your guild, we suggest that you coordinate the effort to reduce the chance of any stragglers being left behind.

Friday - July 12, 2013

WoW - Exploring A Free To Play Future?

by Couchpotato, 01:40

Forbes has an article about the WOW micro-transactions, and talking about if the game is moving towards a F2P future.

The items currently in discussion may seem low impact to the current World of Warcraft playerbase, as leveling is not a particularly difficult process in the title and Lesser Charms are relatively painless to acquire, but it’s a definite shift in philosophy and certainly not common for a subscription-based title.  While experience boosts and “bonus loot rolls” in some form are standard fare for free-to-play models, this may be the first time such goods enter a major offering that comes with a subscription fee.

“We’re still pretty early in the exploration process, but we did want to go into more detail about our rationale for introducing an in-game store, as well as provide some insight into what you might ultimately see available there,” said Bashiok.

“For players who are already interested in the in-game items we offer, such as Pet Store pets and mounts, the benefits of an in-game store are pretty clear. We think everyone would appreciate the convenience of being able to make such purchases without having to leave the game, and ultimately that’s our long-term goal for the system, though there’s quite a bit of work involved in retrofitting those existing items into the new system.”

The presence of an item store within the game itself will provide Blizzard and World of Warcraft with opportunities to pitch players microtransactions with far less friction than the current design, which requires players to head to the website to make special purchases.

The language implies that the in-game cash shop will absolutely be making an appearance on North American soil, but it’s not clear where offerings go from there.  The current options may seem innocent enough, but will World of Warcraft offer a complete range of standard free-to-play options within subscription walls?  If there is any current or upcoming MMORPG title out there that could get away with such an ambitious plan, World of Warcraft may be the one to successfully execute.

Wednesday - July 10, 2013

WoW - Microtransactions Confirmed

by Couchpotato, 01:07

Battle.net has word that the new version 5.4 patch for World of Warcraft is available, and confirms their adding in-game micro-transactions. Blizzard had this to say on this topic.

Thanks for all the feedback so far, everyone. We’re still pretty early in the exploration process, but we did want to go into more detail about our rationale for introducing an in-game store, as well as provide some insight into what you might ultimately see available there.

For players who are already interested in the in-game items we offer, such as Pet Store pets and mounts, the benefits of an in-game store are pretty clear. We think everyone would appreciate the convenience of being able to make such purchases without having to leave the game, and ultimately that’s our long-term goal for the system, though there’s quite a bit of work involved in retrofitting those existing items into the new system.

First, we’ll be testing the in-game store with some new kinds of items we’re looking into introducing (in Asian regions, at the outset) based on player feedback: specifically, an experience buff to assist with the leveling process, as well as an alternate way to acquire Lesser Charms of Good Fortune. We’ve had a lot of requests from players in different regions for convenience-oriented items such as these, and as with other new ideas we’ve introduced as WoW has evolved—including Pet Store pets, mounts, and more—your feedback plays a hugely important part in determining what we add to the game.

Ultimately it’s still too early in the process to make any final determinations about our plans, but in the meantime, we hope you’ll check out the in-game store once it’s implemented on the PTR and let us know what you think.

Saturday - July 06, 2013

WoW - Blizzard Considering Micro-transactions

by Couchpotato, 03:48

Oh my it's the end of the world. Blizzard Community Manager Zarhym confirmed on the official Battle.net forums for World of Warcraft that the company is considering adding in-game micro-transactions to the title. This follows the recent mention of an "In Game Store" in an item's description.

We are currently exploring the possibility of adding a way for players in certain regions to make purchases directly within the game. As part of this process, elements related to this will be appearing on the PTR. We’ll provide additional updates on our plans as development progresses.

Thursday - August 20, 2009

WoW - The Magazine

by Woges, 21:06

Ars Technica talk to Future Publishing who are about to release a dedicated WoW print (shock) mag.

The print business is, to put it lightly, troubled at the moment. Ads are hard to come by, readership is down, and both magazines and newspapers are tightening their belts at an alarming rate. So why not begin a new print magazine dedicated to gaming? In fact, dedicated to one game. One online-only game. Future Publishing is hoping to do just that, with World of Warcraft: The Magazine. Clearly, there is much to be skeptical about, but the team behind the magazine makes a strong case for a publication of this type. Here's the scoop on how they plan to sidestep the issues of traditional magazine publishing and still make a profit.

"This won't be driven by advertising; it's based on a print-on-demand format. We will launch the subscription website on Friday, monitoring who is subscribing in what language, and print that many copies exactly," John Gower, International Director of FuturePlus, told Ars. "This will be environmentally friendly—no waste." This print on demand format allows them to keep publishing costs as low as possible, and releasing magazines to subscribers only—no newsstand—will make sure no copies get thrown away.

Source: Blues News

Tuesday - July 28, 2009

WoW - Strange In-Game Counselling Plan

by Woges, 23:17

Dr. Richard Graham plans on giving addicts in game therapy according to Gamespot.

"We will be launching this project by the end of the year. I think it’s already clear that psychiatrists will have to stay within the parameters of the game. They certainly wouldn’t be wandering around the game in white coats and would have to use the same characters available to other players," Graham said, asking Blizzard to waive or discount the game's $15 monthly fee for therapists. "Of course one problem we’re going to have to overcome is that while a psychiatrist may excel in what they do in the real world, they’re probably not going to be very good at playing World of Warcraft."

Graham said his proposed in-game measures were necessary because the game addicts can be more easily found online than in person. The newspaper's article comes after a related story it published in February, headlined "World of Warcraft 'more addictive than cocaine'." Blizzard could not be reached for comment as of press time.

Wednesday - July 22, 2009

WoW - Sam Raimi in the Director's Chair

by Woges, 12:37

Sam Raimi, of Evil Dead, Spiderman and Crimewave fame, is to direct the World of Warcraft movie according to GI.biz.

Activision Blizzard has announced that the long-planned live-action movie adaptation of MMO World of Warcraft is moving ahead with the revelation that Sam Raimi - much-decorated director of the Spider-Man trilogy - has signed up to steer the project.

He'll be working with Charles Roven, whose Atlas Entertainment company has produced numerous hit films - including The Dark Knight - and the movie will be released by Legendary Pictures.

"Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have a shared vision for this film and we searched at length to find the very best director to bring that vision to life," said Paul Sams, COO of Blizzard Entertainment. "From our first conversation with Sam, we could tell he was the perfect choice. Sam knows how to simultaneously satisfy the enthusiasts and the mainstream audience that might be experiencing that content for the first time. We're looking forward to working with him to achieve that here."

And Roven added: "Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft has become a second home for millions of players and Sam's experience and talent make him the perfect director for this remarkable and action-packed world."

Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Friday - March 27, 2009

WoW - 9 Quest Design Problems

by Dhruin, 07:48

Jeffrey Kaplan 'fesses up at GDC with 9 quest related problems with WoW.  Most of the issues relate to accesibility - from the Shacknews report:

1. "The Christmas Tree Effect"

What this means, and this is kind of a weird one, but you show up to a quest hub, and your minimap is lit up like a Christmas tree with quest exclamation marks.

The weird thing is, if you ask our fans, they love this. This is to them a good quest hub... They go in and vacuum up the quests. But we've lost all control to guide them to a really fun experience.

Kaplan noted that this leads to users not reading the quests, not bothering to remember which quest giver gave what, and forgetting the order in which to do the quests.

"It's much better to have a slow, guided experience," he said. "I think if you go to [Lich King zones] Borean Tundra or Howling Fjord, you'll always have a ton of quests to do, but you'll never have more than 6 or 7 quests in your quest log."

Thursday - December 11, 2008

WoW - Character Re-customisation

by Woges, 14:20

Blizzard are stating that character re-customisation is now available.

Ready for a new look in World of Warcraft, but the barbershop's just not cutting it? You can now change a character’s gender, face, skin color, and other cosmetic features (such as tauren horn styles or a night elf's facial markings) using the brand-new Character Re-Customization service. Available at the Account Management page for a flat fee of $15, Character Re-Customization covers all available cosmetic options for a single character and includes an optional name change to go with your new look. For more information, see the FAQ -- or log in to the Character Re-Customization page now to begin the process of reinventing the new you!

Tuesday - October 28, 2008

WoW - 11 Million Subscribers

by Woges, 17:11

Blizzard have announced that WoW has passed the 11m sub mark.

IRVINE, Calif. - October 28, 2008 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the subscribership for World of Warcraft®, its award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), now exceeds 11 million players worldwide. This milestone was reached as the beta test for Wrath of the Lich King®, World of Warcraft's second expansion, nears completion. Wrath of the Lich King will launch in several regions around the world starting on November 13.

"It's been very rewarding to see gamers around the world continue to show such strong support for World of Warcraft," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment®. “We remain fully committed to responding to that enthusiasm with a high-quality, constantly evolving game experience.

Since debuting in North America on November 23, 2004, World of Warcraft has become the most popular MMORPG around the world. It was the bestselling PC game of 2005 and 2006 worldwide, and finished behind only World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade®, the first expansion pack for the game, in 2007.* In addition to being the bestselling PC game of 2007 in both North America and Europe, The Burning Crusade holds the record for fastest-selling PC game of all time, with nearly 2.4 million copies sold in its first 24 hours of availability and approximately 3.5 million in its first month.

Wednesday - September 17, 2008

WoW - $200M to Run

by Dhruin, 09:48

A short piece at Kotaku claims World of Warcraft has cost $200M to run (presumably excluding development) since release in 2004.  It's a hefty sum but no doubt leaves a bit of change left over to keep things ticking along.

Thursday - August 07, 2008

WoW - Released in Russian

by Woges, 18:09

Blizzard announce WoW servers up in Russia.

We are delighted to announce the release of World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade in Russian, available today. As well as being able to experience the worlds of Azeroth and Outland in Russian, players now also have access to full Russian language support and a range of payment options in roubles.

For existing players, you can convert your account to a Russian account, by following the procedure outlined here. Once your account is converted, you will be able to pay for the account in roubles. Some restrictions apply and you can read all about the distinctions here. A free migration option is available for a limited time for transfers from existing European realms to Russian language realms, to allow you to take immediate advantage of Russian language in-game support.

New players can create a Russian account here, and find out more about the benefits of these accounts here. Two new Russian language realms have been opened today for new character creation only.

A free trial is also available, allowing you to experience the World of Warcraft for ten days, absolutely free.

We extend a warm welcome to all our current and future Russian speaking players, and hope that they will now enjoy World of Warcraft even more.

Friday - June 27, 2008

WoW - Blizzard Authenticator

by Woges, 15:06

 Blizzard made security gadget for WoW players. More questions on the gadget answered on their FAQ.

What is the Blizzard Authenticator?

The Blizzard Authenticator is an optional tool that offers World of Warcraft players an additional layer of security to help prevent unauthorized account access. The Authenticator itself is a physical “token” device that fits easily on a keyring.

Where do I get a Blizzard Authenticator?

The Blizzard Authenticator will be able to be purchased directly from the Blizzard Store for $6.50 *Coming Soon*.

How does the Blizzard Authenticator work?

You must first associate the Blizzard Authenticator to the World of Warcraft account you play.  Once the account has been linked, the Authenticator token will be required to log in to Account Management or to the game; when logging in, you will be prompted to supply a digital code generated by the Authenticator.

Monday - June 09, 2008

WoW - Ashamed of the Big Bad Wolf?

by Woges, 16:41

US doctor says MMOs addiction more shameful than 'x-rated' material addiction. I wonder if it's more shameful than boys (grown-men) playing with a dolls house? MVCUK article here.

A leading psychiatrist in the treatment of online game addiction has revealed that some World Of Warcraft users are more ashamed of being addicted to the game than to online porn.

Speaking to The Boston Globe, Dr Jerald Block spoke about the rise in internet addiction and some of the cases he has had to deal with.

Friday - May 30, 2008

WoW - Why are MMOs having a population crisis? @ The Guardian

by Woges, 13:12

Alexander Gambotto-Burke talks MMOs with the likes of Flying Lab Software chief executive Russell Williams and Raph Koster.

Some of this can be attributed to WoW's success. The game's critical esteem and massive subscriber-base promise a very consistent and well-maintained MMO experience, so it's little surprise that when a smaller MMO's subscriber-base declines, WoW's inflates. "We see a lot of MMOs like that, where they get two-to-three months of a good reaction, and then their player-base disappears," says Flying Lab Software chief executive Russell Williams. "Where? Well ... they go back to WoW!"

For the majority of MMOs released after WoW, this rings true. After being released in 2006, Turbine's hyped and well-reviewed Dungeons & Dragons Online declined from 90,000 subscribers to 50,000 within a few months. A year later, SOE's Vanguard: Saga of Heroes lost 80,000 subscribers after its 120,000 peak in a similar amount of time. Other big-budget MMOs - 2006's Auto Assault, notably - can't even garner enough users to keep running for more than a year.

Monday - April 21, 2008

WoW - No Uwe Boll Movie @ MTV

by Asbjoern, 21:16

Well, this one comes from the humour department. It seems Uwe Boll has been turned down by Blizzard for a World of Warcraft movie. Here's what he had to say to MTV when interviewed:

“You go for it, to please the game fans, but on the other hand if you have the hard core gamers, they live in their own world. And you cannot fulfill their ideas from a video game based movie, it’s impossible,” Boll recently told MTV News. “And to be honest, the real gamers are the typical download guys, right? They don’t pay anything for movies, because they illegally download the movies. So why I should please these guys? I need the normal audience.”

“I got in contact with Paul Sams of Blizzard, and he said, ‘We will not sell the movie rights, not to you…especially not to you,’” Boll revealed. “Because it’s such a big online game success, maybe a bad movie would destroy that ongoing income, what the company has with it.”

Source: WarCry

Tuesday - April 15, 2008

WoW - Tanya Byron likens games to Drug Addiction

by Woges, 21:54

Mcvuk.com has a news article on Dr Tanya Byron's comments on TV program Am I Normal?

“It might seem ludicrous to compare a childish computer fantasy game with hard drug addiction. But addiction counsellors offering treatment to gamers argue that there are key similarities in the way that the consumer gets hooked into coming back for more.”

Byron spoke to counsellor Stephen Noel-Hill, who she revealed was “himself a recovering gambling addict” – and who had set up a recovery clinic in Amsterdam which welcomed ‘games addicts’

WoW - eSports Platform?

by Woges, 19:28

Interview @ Gamespy with Blizzard's Lead Designer Tom Chilton and eSports Manager Joong Kim.

GameSpy: The World of Warcraft Arena Tournament has been a great excuse for us to transform the WoW players on staff from emoting clickers into full-fledged PvPers. It's been a difficult transition to say the least. It's a whole new game for us. So let's talk about the Arena Tournament, and what it means for World of Warcraft.

Tom Chilton, Lead Designer: The big objective is to build WoW into a viable eSports game platform. We feel like with the introduction of the arena team and the arena system, we've got a way to set ourselves up for competitive eSports. We've been pretty happy with how the system has been turning out, it's a very popular system within WoW. It's fostered a strong sense of competition and community within that. It's turned out as a real sub-game within the game.

Friday - April 04, 2008

WoW - Patch v. 2.4.1 Released

by Asbjoern, 00:35

World of Warcraft has been updated from v. 2.4 to v. 2.4.1. Quote taken from Blue's News:

Another new patch for World of Warcraft is now available, updating Blizzard's MMORPG to version 2.4.1, adding 0.0.1 of goodness to the recently released version 2.4. The US/Aus English patch is available on ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, FanGaming, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, Games32, The Patches Scrolls, PixelRage, and Strategy Informer. Some or all of the other various localized editions can be found on ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, FanGaming, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, Games32, The Patches Scrolls, PixelRage, and Strategy Informer.

Thursday - March 20, 2008

WoW - Trailer of Fury of the Sunwell

by Asbjoern, 23:50

There is a trailer of the upcoming patch v2.4 entitled "Fury of the Sunwell" up at the official site.

Source: Bluesnews

Wednesday - March 19, 2008

WoW - Opinion Piece @ Gamasutra

by Woges, 20:16

The Evolution of World of Warcraft and it's Many Games at Gamasutra

 [In this new Gamasutra opinion piece, game student and writer James Lantz discusses the evolution of World of Warcraft's 'metagames' - the multiple mechanics contained within the hit MMO, from the "honor system" to Battlegrounds and the Arena.]

Tuesday - March 18, 2008

WoW - Review @ EuroGamer

by Woges, 16:48

Eurogamer re-review WoW calling it a masterpiece 10/10.

WOW doesn't just dominate the MMO landscape because it's the proverbial goose's golden egg. WOW dominates because, in pure quality terms, it's in a class of its own. Blizzard is constantly working to keep it that way, to improve not just on its weaknesses (the grind, the endgame) but its strengths (the interface, the world-building). It's made huge leaps forward on all those fronts in the last few months alone, and as a result, WOW is an even more inviting prospect for new or returning players than it ever was. It is, in short, a masterpiece.

This also ushers in EuroGamer's new MMO channel

Wednesday - March 12, 2008

WoW - Market Share

by Woges, 15:58

Bruce Woodcock's mmogchart.com was updated last month showing a massive 62% market share for WoW in MMO subscriptions.

Thursday - March 06, 2008

WoW - Sexual Harassment online

by Woges, 18:28

In response to the earlier newsbit I posted on gender (this is not totally unique to WoW of course) the womens section of the same UK newspaper has followed up here.

Anyone who has played video games with any regularity will know that character design is one of those areas where gender stereotypes run riot. Most pre-packaged characters are white, male and buff. Female characters are few and far between, and when they do appear they are usually highly sexualised or passive, or both. Game architects just don't seem to be able to look beyond those pneumatic breasts.

WoW - Patch 2.4 preview @ Eurogamer

by Woges, 00:46

Short preview of the next patch for WoW. The latest patch notes for WoW can also be found on their test realm patch page.

The first of the new instances is Magister's Terrace, a dungeon for a party of five players, offering both normal and heroic modes and a second pop at Blood Elf lord Kael'thas Sunstrider (also the boss of the raid zone in The Burning Crusade's Tempest Keep).

It's joined by Sunwell Plateau, a new challenge for a full-sized raid of 25 players. This is intended to be the hardest raid in the game until the next expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, appears. Its final boss, Kil'jaeden - who will have to be unlocked by the combined efforts of all players on the server - is acting leader of the Burning Legion and creator of the Lich King. So, Fury of the Sunwell appears to offer a climax to the Burning Crusade storyline, and a bridge to the new adventures in Northrend, expected later this year.

 

Source: GameBanshee

Wednesday - March 05, 2008

WoW - Gender benders

by Woges, 13:28

The Guardian.co.uk has an article on online games and swapping gender. Here's the link

"In our offline lives, there are set boundaries and limits – but these synthetic worlds allow people to explore aspects of their personalities that they couldn't otherwise do."

Tuesday - January 22, 2008

WoW - 10 Million Subscribers @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:01

Blizzard has announced that World of Warcraft subscriptions have now surpassed the staggering figure of 10 million worldwide.  Head over to the official site for the full press release.

IRVINE, Calif. -- January 22, 2008 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that subscribership for World of Warcraft®, its award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has continued to climb, recently passing 10 million worldwide. Interest in the game has remained high in all regions, with thousands of new and returning players signing up through the holiday season. World of Warcraft now hosts more than 2 million subscribers in Europe, more than 2.5 million in North America, and approximately 5.5 million in Asia.

"It's very gratifying to see gamers around the world continuing to show such enthusiasm and support for World of Warcraft," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're always pleased to welcome new players to the game, and we're looking forward to sharing the next major content update with the entire community in the months ahead."

Source: Blizzard

Sunday - November 25, 2007

WoW - Third Anniversary @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:19

World of Warcraft is three years old and Blizzard is holding a contest to celebrate.  Prizes include gift certificates, action figures, iPods and a two year WoW subscription.  Head on over to the official site for the details

Source: Blizzard

Sunday - November 18, 2007

WoW - Guild Banks @ WoW Armory

by Inauro, 01:40

Blizzard has updated The World of Warcraft Armory with details of the new Guild Bank system introduced to World of Warcraft.

A new Guild Bank system has been introduced to World of Warcraft. There are two new tabs on the Guild page that are devoted to Guild Banks. This is the first "protected area" of the Armory which requires additional security measures to access.

Source: Blizzard

Friday - November 16, 2007

WoW - No WoW Sequel Yet @ VideoGamer.com

by Inauro, 23:09

VideoGamer.com brings word that Blizzard is not thinking about a World of Warcraft sequel yet, instead preferring to focus on bringing new ideas to the existing game.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com, Pearce said the team is still waiting to enjoy new content as players before turning to what must be an inevitable sequel.

"We haven't even started to think about a sequel," he said. "The team still has a huge wishlist of exciting features to add on top of what's already been implemented since launch. Not to mention, we're all still playing the game pretty heavily ourselves, and there's a lot more content that we want to see as players."

WoW - Interview @ WarCry

by Inauro, 22:54

Jeffrey Kaplan talks to WarCry about Wrath of the Lich King, the upcoming expansion for World of Warcraft.

WarCry: The death knight is being billed as a tank/dps (damage per second) hybrid. How do you see them fitting into raids alongside protection warriors, feral druids, and protection paladins?

Jeffrey Kaplan: We made some really good strides in The Burning Crusade to improve the feral druid as a hybrid tank/dps class. That will be the general direction we'll be looking to go with the death knight. Obviously, the protection warrior is in a good place in terms of dungeon and raid tanking. And the protection paladin is hands-down the best multi-target tank. Of course, there's always room for improvement, but you can see the general direction the tanking classes are headed. While all of these classes are capable of fulfilling similar roles, they offer very different abilities and playstyles.

Source: WarCry

Saturday - November 10, 2007

WoW - Utgarde Keep @ Official Site

by Inauro, 00:28

If you missed the Blizzard Insider preview, now's your chance to catch glimpse inside Utgarde Keep at the official World of Warcraft site.

Among the cliffs of the Daggercap Bay in the Howling Fjord stands Utgarde Keep, an impervious fortress occupied by the savage and enigmatic vrykul. The ancient stronghold stretches deep into the earth, but thus far no scout from the Alliance or Horde has survived long enough to explore its depths. Long thought to be abandoned, Utgarde has only recently returned to occupation after millennia of disuse. Now the half-giant vrykul pour endlessly from within the keep's battle-scarred walls to assault the nearby settlements.

Source: Blizzard

Thursday - November 08, 2007

WoW - Wrath of the Lich King Screens @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:09

Blizzard has updated the screenshot gallery at the official World of Warcraft site with a fine selection of new Wrath of the Lich King images. 

Source: Blizzard

Wednesday - October 24, 2007

WoW - Atlas @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:15

Blizzard has updated the official World of Warcraft site with a new atlas.

The World of Warcraft Online Atlas is here! The new Online Atlas is an informative resource to help you navigate the many locations and regions of Azeroth and Outland using an intuitive Flash interface. The Atlas has two display modes:

Detailed Region Info: See all the regions of Azeroth and Outland by clicking the minimap on the upper left. Each region is marked with cities, towns, dungeons, and other points of interest. Clicking on each marker displays additional information -- for example, clicking on a town shows you what resources are available there, such as trainers, flightmasters, and repair merchants. Detailed capital city maps are also available from each continent's drop-down menu.

Customized Region Info: Clicking on the Customized Region Info tabs displays an overlay on the world map highlighting only the particular type of information you select. For example, clicking on the Transportation tab brings up all the flight paths and boat/zeppelin stops in the world, and the Region Levels filter displays the appropriate level range for all regions in the world.

We hope you'll find the new Online Atlas handy in your World of Warcraft adventures!

Source: Blizzard

Tuesday - October 16, 2007

WoW - Controller Software @ Switchblade Gaming

by Inauro, 23:06

For those of you who prefer to use a console controller, Switchblade Gaming promises to deliver the experience to players of World of Warcraft. Here's the puff piece:

Switchblade is FREE cutting-edge software that brings a fully configured game controller experience to the most popular PC games, beginning with World of Warcraft®.

SwitchBlade provides all the functions of a mouse and keyboard, providing an exciting new way to play World of Warcraft.   More freedom.   More comfort.

Tuesday - October 09, 2007

WoW - Updated Macro Guide @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:20

Blizzard has updated the macro guide at the official World of Warcraft site.

Source: Blizzard

Monday - October 08, 2007

WoW - Interview @ Eurogamer

by Inauro, 23:01

Eurogamer talks to Jeff Kaplan about Wrath of the Lich King and what Blizzard learned from The Burning Crusade.

Eurogamer: There were some flaws in The Burning Crusade, such as the difficulty of accessing certain instances and other elements which caused concern for hardcore players. What did you learn from that?

Jeff Kaplan: I fully agree with you, we did learn many lessons from The Burning Crusade. We've already fixed the access issue with recent updates. I can't tell you a lot about the progression system in Wrath of the Lich King, but we're exploring new paths to make this add-on accessible to everyone.

For example, we could imagine some open content for a server rather than for a specific guild, like we did with Ahn'Qiraj. We could even push this basic concept a little further. You could also imagine a system which would allow you to grant access to all your characters once you've unlocked it with one of them. It's a very important matter for us; we don't want to remake what I personally consider a mistake in the Burning Crusade.

Source: EuroGamer

Monday - October 01, 2007

WoW - Death Knight Q&A @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:07

An interview with the Wrath of the Lich King design team has been added to the official World of Warcraft site.  In it the team answer questions about the new Death Knight class.

One of the biggest news at this year’s BlizzCon was the announcement of World of Warcraft’s next expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, and the introduction of the game’s first hero class, the death knight. What made you choose this particular class?

One of the things we knew very early on during development of Wrath of the Lich King was that we wanted to add an entirely new class to the existing ones. We actually considered several other class candidates before we decided on the death knight, but we felt that this was the perfect fit for the theme of Wrath of the Lich King for a lot of reasons.

Source: Blizzard

Friday - September 28, 2007

WoW - Wrath of the Lich King Screens @ GameInfowire.com

by Inauro, 23:44

GameInfowire.com has posted a selection of Wrath of the Lich King screenshots

Thursday - September 20, 2007

WoW - Wrath of the Lich King Screenshots @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:16

Blizzard has updated the official World of Warcraft site with a selection of new Wrath of the Lich King screenshots.

Source: Blizzard

Saturday - September 15, 2007

WoW - Ogri'la Faction Tips @ Official Site

by Inauro, 01:56

The official World of Warcraft site has been updated with a selection of Ogri'la faction tips.

Your first goal is to reach neutral reputation with Ogri'la, as you must be neutral to interact with the Ogri'la questgivers and vendors. To start the process, talk to the ogre Grok in the southeast corner of Shattrath's Lower City - he should be hard to miss. He sends you off to see Mog'dorg the Wizened in Blade's Edge, who will begin the quest line that will bring you to neutral with Ogri'la upon its completion.

Source: Blizzard

Thursday - September 06, 2007

WoW - Wrath of the Lich King Preview @ ComputerGames.ro

by Inauro, 23:13

ComputerGames.ro previews Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion pack for Blizzard's World of Warcraft.

The first major thing WotLK brings to the table, barring the new continent, is, as previously mentioned, 10 more character levels, from 70 to 80, which otherwise makes me want to bet that we will have 2 more expansions except this one and TBC, so we’d have a nice round maximum level of 100. Blizzard, apparently excited by the success of TBC, stated that the new level cap will be reached in a time span approximately equal to that needed to get from 70 to 80. As we all know, the record of that one is a little more than 20 hours, but no one really rushes you, except the other million players all rushing to get to the “end-game” stuff, including your guild who may kick your sweet behind if you dare to get lazy. Because one cannot mention enough times this small detail, to access the new continent Northend and to unlock your path to the level 80 glory, you’d have to own the new expansion and the old expansion and the Vanilla WoW itself and a computer and internet access and few dozen tons of coffee and a reliable pizza delivery company – that would be a basic start up list (additional details would include resigning from your current job if you have one and dumping your family, should you suffer the misfortune of being married).

Wednesday - August 15, 2007

WoW - PayPal Accepted for WoW @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:15

This one comes straight from the about-damn-time department.

We're pleased to announce that we're now able to accept PayPal payments for World of Warcraft subscriptions. Both current and new subscribers can now assign their PayPal account as their automatic payment method on the Account Management page. If you wish to open a PayPal account or want to learn more about the popular online payment system, the PayPal website has the details.

Source: Blizzard

Thursday - August 09, 2007

WoW - Wrath of the Lich King Preview @ IGN Australia

by Inauro, 23:21

IGN Australia takes a look a the background of Ner'zhul, the titular Lich King of Blizzard's upcoming World of Warcraft expansion.

In order to understand who the Lich King is, the tale must kick off with Ner'zhul - Elder Shaman of Draenor. His is a strange and ultimately sad tale. As Ner'zhul escaped the dying land of Draenor, he broke a blood pact with the demon Kil'jaeden, known as the 'Beautiful One'.

Source: IGN

Sunday - July 01, 2007

WoW - Interview @ WarCry

by Inauro, 00:59

Jeffrey Kaplan chats to WarCry about the latest goings on in World of Warcraft.

WarCry: The complication and difficulty of getting keyed and attuned for many instances has risen quite a bit. What is the reason for increasing the complication for attunements and keys?

Jeffrey Kaplan: I'm actually a big fan of how the Heroic keying process worked out. We want there to be a sense of progression and something to look forward to, but at the same time we don't want the process to get so complicated that it becomes too daunting. When you group with people in a Heroic instance, you know that they have a certain level of understanding when it comes to that particular dungeon because they needed to do it a few times. As time goes on, we'll continue to tweak and balance the attunement processes in response to player feedback and our own observations.

Source: WarCry

Wednesday - June 20, 2007

WoW - Patch & Bans

by Dhruin, 03:27

WoW has been updated to v2.12 (notes) and manual patch files can be nabbed at 3D Downloads, FileFront and no doubt everywhere else.  Blizzard's Jeff Kapalan has commented via Blizzplanet that attunements for Serpentshrine and Tempest Keep have been eliminated: "While many of our attunements in the Burning Crusade have been good progression checks, a few of the attunements have turned out to cause unnecessary stress on guilds either doing the content or attempting to do the content."

Not surprisingly, there's a new round of bannings:

In the US and Europe, we recently banned several thousand accounts associated with the use of botting programs that fully automate player actions, such as killing and looting monsters. We take these attempts to bypass the rules and standards of the game extremely seriously, and we will continue to aggressively monitor all World of Warcraft realms in order to protect the service and its players from the negative effects of cheating.

Source: Bluesnews

Thursday - June 07, 2007

WoW - Item Database @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:26

Taking the lead of many a fansite, Blizzard has added an item database to the official World of Warcraft site.

The Armory's Item Database is a comprehensive searchable database of the items of World of Warcraft. As the only official item database for World of Warcraft, it has the exclusive ability to draw information from the actual game servers and is integrated with the Armory's character profiles. It's also designed for ease of use – to give you the items you're looking for as quickly and easily as possible.

Source: Blizzard

WoW - Black Temple Patch Review @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 23:05

Joe Iuliani takes a closer look at the latest World of Warcraft content update.

Blizzard renews World of Warcraft with new solo and five man quests that generate quick money and loot. Many quests are repeatable with a number of blue items dropping. Additionally, there is a new group to achieve faction with, the Sha'tar Skygaurd (it wouldn't be an MMO without some more faction grinding). The quest lines start off right next to the flight point in Shattrath The Sha'tar have two main camps, one in Skettis located in Terokkar Forrest and near Ogri'la in Blade's Edge Mountains. As you gain faction with the Skygaurd, a flight path opens between the two locations. As you can imagine, this makes loot questing more convenient.

Source: MMORPG.com

Thursday - May 24, 2007

WoW - Badges of Justice @ Official Site

by Inauro, 00:14

Blizzard has updated the official World of Warcraft site with information on Badges of Justice .

Badges of Justice are obtained from bosses in Heroic mode dungeons. Every member of a five-man group can loot their own Badge from each boss defeated in Heroic mode. The Badges are bind-on-pickup and thus cannot be traded or sold. Access to Heroic difficulty requires Revered reputation level (for each group member) with the dungeon's associated faction. Badges of Justice can be turned in for these powerful rewards from G'eras, found in Shattrath's Terrace of Light.

Source: Blizzard

Tuesday - May 15, 2007

WoW - The Black Temple @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:14

A preview of the upcoming World of Warcraft patch is available at the official site.

Long ago on Draenor, the Temple of Karabor was the center of draenei worship. But the devout priests who prayed there are long dead, slaughtered by marauding, demonically corrupted orcs. In the massacre's aftermath the warlocks of the Shadow Council seized the structure and bestowed upon it a new name: the Black Temple.

Source: Blizzard

Thursday - March 29, 2007

WoW - Arena Tournament Page @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:28

Blizzard has once again updated the official World of Warcraft site, this time with an Arena Tournament page.

The World of Warcraft Arena Tournament webpage is now live. Our most current information is on this page, including news announcements, frequently asked questions, and the newly released tournament rules. We will add more content to this webpage as the tournament progresses, so check back periodically for the latest information.

Source: Blizzard

Wednesday - March 28, 2007

WoW - Zangarmarsh PvP Rewards @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:34

Blizzard has updated the official World of Warcraft site with information on the Zangarmarsh PvP rewards .

In Outland, Honor Hold and Thrallmar both battle for control of strategic objectives in Zangarmarsh. By wresting control of the Twin Spire Ruins from the opposing faction in Zangarmarsh, you can get access to nice rewards. Take a moment to check them out here.

Source: Blizzard

Thursday - March 22, 2007

WoW - Bannings @ CNET News.com

by Inauro, 21:15

CNET's News.com offers up a story on recent World of Warcraft account bannings.

According to several players, Zak isn't the only WoW participant who recently has received a ban with what they believed to be little or no justification. Critics claim WoW publisher Blizzard Entertainment been snaring innocent players in a dragnet for banned activities like account sharing and gold farming--a system in which players either directly or indirectly acquire large amounts of in-game currency or goods through repetitious actions, often achieved by operating automatic "bots" or macros that kill monsters or discover treasure.

Wednesday - March 14, 2007

WoW - Interview @ Play.tm

by Dhruin, 07:15

Blizzard's Lead Producer on World of Warcraft Shane Dabiri has been interviewed at Play.tm about the success of the title:

What part of The Burning Crusade are you personally most proud of or excited by?

The massive breadth of the game is one of the things that never cease to amaze us. We've worked hard to include elements that appeal to a wide variety of players. Just to touch on a few things - flying mounts are giving everyone a brand new perspective on the game world. Small groups can adventure in so many different and challenging winged dungeons. The new raid content and boss fights are also more fun than ever for larger groups, while the new Arena System is allowing us to run our first-ever, global World of Warcraft PvP tournament. Though all of these pale in comparison to the thing I'm most proud of, which is our fantastic player community that has embraced this game and called it their own. They are the ones that truly breathe life into this virtual world.

Thursday - January 25, 2007

WoW - Casual Play @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 23:08

Steve Wilson turns his attention to The Burning Crusade in this week's Casual Play column at MMORPG.com.

Burning Crusade released last week and it turns out that like everyone expected it is more of the same. For many casual gamers however that is exactly what they were hoping for. More of the same when it caters directly to your playstyle is definitely a good thing. And from the number of people I’ve talked to who have a renewed interest in grinding through quests for that magic level cap Crusades is a great thing.

Source: MMORPG.com

Tuesday - January 23, 2007

WoW - Interview @ Empire

by Inauro, 21:05

Empire speaks with Blizzard's Vice President of Development, Itzik Ben Bassa, about World of Warcraft and where to next for Blizzard in the MMO space.

How do you imagine you'll be able to top Warcraft in the future?
When we announce our next MMORPG it’s not going to be another WoW - we’re not a company that tends to tread the same ground. It’ll be something innovative and new that really brings entertainment to another level.

Thursday - January 18, 2007

WoW - Casual Play @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 21:33

Steve Wilson takes a look at guilds in his latest Casual Play column at MMORPG.com.

“Not bad back there, you know our guild is recruiting right now…”

I’ll admit I was interested. It would be much better to have a pool of people to adventure with rather than always looking for pick up groups. It would also be a lot more fun in the battlegrounds to run with folks that saw it more as a team sport than a mob activity. The two players I’d hooked up with in order to venture through one of my rare forays into an instance seemed like decent guys. There’d been no arguing over loot or tactics, no berating of anyone in the pick up group, if their guild was the same it might not be a bad proposition. I’d be more than willing to help out when needed knowing there’d be a community to do the same for me. Guilds in online games are almost a requirement. I was plenty interested.

 

Source: MMORPG.com

Tuesday - January 16, 2007

WoW - Interview @ CVG

by Inauro, 21:35

CVG talks with World of Warcraft Game Designer Jon LeCraft and Blizzard's Vice President of Business Development Itzik Ben Bassat.

World of Warcraft's been massively successful. How difficult has it been coming up with content that tops what you've already done with the game?

Itzik Ben Bassat: We do things from passion. We have this large list of features that we want to get into World of Warcraft, and we pick the features we can get into one expansion.

It's not like looking for features that will get into the expansion, it's deciding which features will not get to this expansion... we'll get to them in the next one. As long as we have stories to tell, and we feel we can create great entertainment, we'll do it.

Sunday - January 14, 2007

WoW - Patch Notes @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:23

The latest patch notes - 2.0.5 (01/14/2007) - are available at the official World of Warcraft site.

Source: Blizzard

Thursday - January 11, 2007

WoW - The Genre of Warcraft @ The Escapist

by Inauro, 21:28

The Escapist examines the effect that World of Warcraft has had, and continues to have, on the MMORPG genre.

As the highly anticipated World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade, is even now lovingly pressed onto glorious discs that will deliver whole new realms of exploration to the game's legions of fans, the future for the genre itself has never seemed more lopsided and limited. What was a wide open field of limitless possibility for companies interested in exploring subscriber based gaming as few as five years ago, has become an environment where even cash-rich companies with dependable IP are completely unwilling to challenge the 800-pound gorilla.

Source: The Escapist

WoW - Hits 8 Million

by Dhruin, 21:02

Blue's has news that World of Warcraft's world domination continues with eight million players now signed up:

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that World of Warcraft®, its subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), is now played by more than 8 million gamers around the world. World of Warcraft has also achieved new regional subscriber milestones, with more than 2 million players in North America, more than 1.5 million players in Europe, and more than 3.5 million players in China.

Source: Bluesnews

Tuesday - January 09, 2007

WoW - Dark Portal Opens @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:48

The Dark Portal has opened. Head on over to the official World of Warcraft site for the full details.

Azeroth is under attack! Horrific creatures are swarming from a suddenly active Dark Portal and have rampaged into the Blasted Lands. Defenders from Nethergarde Keep have scrambled to meet the enemy head-on. However, even with the assistance of reinforcements from the ever-vigilant Argent Dawn, the forces of Azeroth need your help! 

Also in the headlines is the announcement of four new realms.

We are pleased to announce the opening of four new realms. These new realms will provide a great place for new and old players alike to begin fresh adventures within the world of Azeroth. Enjoy!

Name Type Time zone Battlegroup
Moon Guard RP CST Emberstorm
Hydraxis PVE CST Emberstorm
Quel'dorei PVE CST Emberstorm
Mok'Nathal PvE CST Emberstorm

 

Source: Blizzard

Friday - January 05, 2007

WoW - Battleground & PVP Rewards @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:10

Blizzard has updated the battleground and PVP reward pages at the official World of Warcraft site.

We have just updated all of our Battleground and PvP Weapon rewards pages. Now you will be able to see how many honor points or battleground tokens you will need in order to purchase the various rewards, as well as getting a sneak peak at some of the upcoming level 70 gear. Check them out!

Source: Blizzard

Thursday - January 04, 2007

WoW - Free Character Moves @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:26

Blizzard has announced free character moves for a number of World of Warcraft realms.

Beginning at 12 PM, Thursday, January 4 we will be opening Free Character Moves for a number of realms. The destination realms will be newly opened with character creation disabled for the period of free transfers. These transfers will run until 11PM, Tuesday, January 9. Click here for more information.

Also in the headlines at the official site, new Burning Crusade screenshots.

We've updated our screenshot gallery for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade with eight new shots from the current closed beta test of the upcoming expansion.

 

Source: Blizzard

WoW - Casual Play @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 21:22

Steve Wilson's back with another Casual Play column in which he looks at World of Warcraft following the recent patch.

I’m often grateful that there’s one game out there that seems to be catering more frequently to the casual playstyle with every patch. World of Warcraft’s latest patch once again shows that if they don’t love the casual player then they are at least doing everything in their power to keep us around. Specifically, the changes to the battlegrounds have done more to put end level gear in the hands of the casual player than any other single event to date. Even with my paltry dozen hours a week (give or take a few hours) of play time I have managed to acquire the end level PvP weapon. And that’s doing nothing more than something I already loved, fighting in the battlegrounds (at an hour a session as well).

Source: MMORPG.com

Friday - December 22, 2006

WoW - Account Closures @ Official Site

by Inauro, 20:08

Blizzard has announced the closure of over 100,000 World of Warcraft accounts for violations of the games' terms of service.

In our continued efforts to combat cheating in World of Warcraft, more than 105,000 accounts were closed and over 12 million gold was removed from the game economies in Europe, Korea, and the US in the month of November. The closed accounts were associated with activities that violate World of Warcraft's Terms of Use, such as using third-party programs that allow cheating, and farming gold and items. These types of activities can severely impact the economy of a realm and the overall game enjoyment for all players.

We will continue to aggressively monitor all World of Warcraft realms in order to protect the service and its players from the harmful effects of cheating. Please note that selling World of Warcraft content, such as gold, items, and characters, can result in a permanent ban of the involved accounts from World of Warcraft.

Many account closures come as the direct result of tips reported to our GMs in game or emailed to our Hacks Team by legitimate World of Warcraft players. If you suspect that a World of Warcraft player is using an illegal third-party program to farm gold or items, or is otherwise violating our Terms of Use, please report the suspected infraction via one of the means listed above. All reports will be investigated, and those that prove false will not result in corrective action.

As always, thank you for your continued support, and best of luck with your continued adventures in Azeroth!

Source: Blizzard

Sunday - December 17, 2006

WoW - 4 New Realms Open @ Official Site

by Kawika, 01:08

For those who may have missed the big news, the official World of Warcraft community site recently announced the grand opening of four new realms to romp and stomp in while we anxiously await the release of the Burning Crusade.

Name Type Time zone Battlegroup
Misha PvE PST Whirlwind
Ravenholdt RP-PVP EST Whirlwind
Bladefist PvE PST Whirlwind
Maiev PvP PST Whirlwind

 

Source: Blizzard

Saturday - December 16, 2006

WoW - Rob Pardo Interview @ Hollywood Reporter

by Dhruin, 22:20

Blizzard's Rob Pardo, introduced in this article as the "Maestro", has been interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter on the success of WoW:

THR: You'd mentioned that because "WoW' was your first MMOG, you sort of stumbled into it a bit. If you were to launch another MMOG tomorrow, what would you do differently?
Pardo: Tons of things. We have a whole laundry list entitled "We'll never make these mistakes again."

THR: For instance?
Pardo: Well, anytime we're going to make a major change to the game, we want to take that patch and put it on what we call a "public test realm," a place where the public can stress-test it out for four or six weeks and discover whether it has any real problems. When we first shipped "WoW" in 2004, we didn't have that public test realm, and so our early patches in the first three months of the game were quite the rollercoaster ride of problems. We'd make changes and there'd be all these horrible bugs that we hadn't noticed. It was a huge mistake on our part and, I assure you, it will never happen again. When you build a massively multiplayer game, you really need thousands of testers to stress-test certain types of things. Our servers hold up to 2,000, 3,000, sometimes 4,000 players, and not even our great 100-person quality-assurance department can stress-test something that big.

Friday - December 08, 2006

WoW - Engame Ups and Downs @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 23:08

David Souza considers the ups and downs of World of Warcraft's endgame.

Have you ever played a team sport? Baseball, Basketball? How about doubles tennis? If you have, you know that personal interaction is the most crucial element of teamwork. Communication is key to keeping the relationship between you and your teammates healthy and progressive. Good communication will lead to personal and team growth. Adversely, poor communication will lead to breakdowns of functionality and conflicts of the team's collective interest.

I've just told you what you most likely already know. So what's my point? Well, for anyone who has played the high end of many of the MMO's out there you have likely seen the difference between the endgame and how it affects the guild social dynamic. The endgames of many MMOs (certainly almost all of the most popular ones) follow a similar paradigm.

Source: MMORPG.com

Thursday - December 07, 2006

WoW - What Makes WoW Dumb @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 21:27

Steve Wilson's latest Casual Play column looks at whether World of Warcraft's casual focus detracts from the content on offer to hardcore players.

For many hardcore MMO fanatics simply asking this question is enough to launch them into a torrent of bitterness. Seriously though, what is it about WoW that earns it such a bad rep among those 'in the know' players and amateur ludologists?

Right off the bat WoW has attracted more new players than all other MMOs previously. It has also proven that the casual market is willing to pay ongoing subscription fees, something many were sceptical of prior to its release. These millions of new players have proven that the MMO genre is one that can be profitable, insanely so for the games that get it right. For the hardcore this is a double edged sword. On one hand it means that there will be a lot of new MMOs developed, but most of them will be directed at capturing that casual market. However an increase in development over all means more independent and niche games, more opportunities that there be something out there that appeals to everyone, just not all at once.

 

Source: MMORPG.com

Wednesday - December 06, 2006

WoW - Before the Storm Preview @ GameSpy

by Inauro, 21:34

GameSpy takes a look at what's in store for players of World of Warcraft with the release of the Before the Storm patch.

In preparation for the launch of The Burning Crusade next month, Blizzard today released the final pre-expansion v2.0.1 update to World of Warcraft. Clocking in at around 500MB, it is the largest update the game has yet seen, one that brings with it some far-reaching changes to its fundamentals. Though the live servers have yet to come up as of 4 p.m., there is already a good bit of speculation as to how these changes will affect the game, from both players who have schooled themselves by poring over the patch notes, and those who have sampled the content first-hand on WoW's public test servers. We'll have first-hand impressions once the servers have come back up, but for now here's a roundup of what to expect from the update Blizzard has termed "Before the Storm."

Source: GameSpy

Tuesday - December 05, 2006

WoW - Patch Notes @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:43

The Before the Storm patch notes are available at the official World of Warcraft site.  Here's a few highlights.

Revamped PvP Honor System - This new reward system will allow players to accumulate honor points that can be spent like currency to purchase weapons, armor, and various other items beneficial for player-vs.-player progression.

New Talents - Each class will now have access to all-new talents in each of their three talent trees.

Looking For Group Tool - This new tool is designed to assist players in finding groups for instanced dungeons and quests.

Arena Skirmishes - Players will be able to queue for small-group, gladiatorial combat matches by speaking to the Battlemasters throughout the world.

And more!
You can read the entire patch notes here.

Source: Blizzard

Tuesday - November 28, 2006

WoW - Statistics @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:52

Blizzard has added a Game Statistics page to the official World of Warcraft site.

This page provides you with up-to-date statistics about some of the most important aspects of World of Warcraft: most sought-after items in the Auction House, most common player-created items, the fiercest killers in the NPC kingdom, most gathered and found items, most looted items, and the most popular quests.

Source: Blizzard

Saturday - November 25, 2006

WoW - Account Bannings @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 23:26

Garrett Fuller looks at Blizzard's banning of World of Warcraft accounts in his latest editorial at MMORPG.com

More and more account issues continue to pop up in the MMORPG world this week. This time it's the monster company Blizzard who has come under fire for banning accounts that have been running third party software or operating in online trade or gold buying activities. These seem like valid reasons for a ban however players are being hit for running the game on Linux or logging in their character from another location. This is causing a stir among players because those who have done nothing wrong are logging in to find their accounts cancelled with little or no explanation from the company.

The problem is Blizzard allows so many customizable mods for players to use and this area can get shady. We here at MMORPG.com want to try to give players as much information as possible about the situation in order to help them not get wrongly banned as well as protect Blizzard's stance on hacking and third party programs.

 

Source: MMORPG.com

Sunday - November 19, 2006

WoW - Blizzard vs. WoW Glider @ Markee Dragon

by Inauro, 21:26

Markee Dragon reports on a brewing court case between Blizzard/Vivendi and the makers of WoW Glider, a bot program that effectively plays the game for you.

We knew it had to happen one of these days with a bot program. Bots currently exist for most all Massive Multiplayer games. The biggest MMORPG in North America is World of Warcraft. WoW Glider is a 3rd party application that allows you to control your character in game without having to be present at your computer. It allows you to have your character go out and gain skills hunting monsters and it allows you to loot them. WoW Glider will pick up the items in game and put them in your pack. WoW Glider was launched June 5th 2005. Since that time it has become hugely popular with players of the game.

Saturday - November 18, 2006

WoW - Two Casual Years Later @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 23:00

MMORPG.com's Steve Wilson reflects on two years as a casual player of World of Warcraft.

Two years later and I find myself doing something I've never done in any other MMORPG, I'm still playing World of Warcraft. As a casual player I should have long since gotten bored and moved on. It only took 6 months with EverQuest, six months with Asheron's Call, three days with Ultima Online, three months with World War II Online and Planetside and about a year with Star Wars Galaxies. WoW has not only kept me playing longer than all the others, but kept me active and interested in it nearly the whole time.

More... 

Source: MMORPG.com

Friday - November 17, 2006

WoW - The Lameness of World of Warcraft

by Dhruin, 21:36

Although muttered by many a jaded MMORPG player, it's interesting to see Slate throwing up an article titled The Lameness of World of Warcraft:

Online swords 'n' sorcery games like Ultima Online and EverQuest once settled for cult followings. But World of Warcraft—the half-game/half-community in which thousands of players cooperate and compete in the same virtual world—turned the genre on its head by luring a massive audience. The game has attracted more than 7.5 million users worldwide—most of whom pay $15 a month to play—and its success has devastated the competition. The New York Times covers Warcraft, and South Park lampooned it. It's a shame, then, that the first massive online game to break into the mainstream is so horribly flawed.

Wednesday - November 15, 2006

WoW - Under Development @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:39

Blizzard has updated the Under Development section of the official World of Warcraft site with further glimpses for what's in store for players of its blockbusting MMORPG.

Source: Blizzard

Thursday - November 02, 2006

WoW - Encyclopedia @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:42

Blizzard has launched a new feature at the official World of Warcraft site, an encyclopedia. Here's the deal:

Since the release of the first Warcraft game, the lore of the Warcraft universe has been evolving and expanding at an incredible rate. Today, Warcraft lore is spread across four games and three expansions as well as a number of novels, a pen-and-paper roleplaying game, and even a manga series. Now you can find all there is to know about Warcraft in one official source of all things Warcraft: The Warcraft Encyclopedia.

 

Source: Blizzard

Monday - October 16, 2006

WoW - Talents & Spells Preview Updated @ Official Site

by Dhruin, 14:37

Blizzard has updated the Burning Crusade Spells and Talents Preview at the official World of Warcraft site.

Monday - September 25, 2006

WoW: Druid Spells & Talents Preview @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:43
Head on over to the official World of Warcraft site for a glimpse of the upcoming changes to Druid spells and talents.
We have updated the Burning Crusade Talent Preview with the expansion's new Druid talents and spells. The spells and talents will be updated as development and tuning progress, so make sure to check back often.

In addition to the Druid talents and abilities being shown, we have included many changes for each of the other classes, updating their information to our latest revisions. Please be sure to check this post for changes which may affect your carefully constructed talent build!

Source: World of Warcraft

Sunday - September 17, 2006

WoW: Kwip on PvP @ NeenerNeener.net

by Inauro, 22:47
NeenerNeener.net sends word that the latest edition of Kwip's <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com" target="_blank">World of Warcraft</a> diaries is online.<blockquote><em>So we all know that I love PvP... If Ia "!m lucky and having a REALLY good night, Ia "!ve actually turned to face the people that are attacking us. On a bad night, I dona "!t even see them coming. On a REALLY bad night, I dona "!t realize Ia "!m dead and spend a half hour trying to figure out how I teleported and where all the monsters went.</em></blockquote>Check out Kwip's night at Splintertree <a href="http://www.neenerneener.net/?p=585 <br>" target="_blank">here</a>.

Source: NeenerNeener.net

Monday - September 11, 2006

WoW: Priest Spells & Talents Preview @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:48
Blizzard has updated the official World of Warcraft site with information on the changes to Priest spells and talents that will be implemented along with the Burning Crusade expansion.
We have updated the Burning Crusade Talent Preview with the expansion's new Priest talents and spells. The spells and talents will be updated as development and tuning progress, so make sure to check back often.

Source: World of Warcraft

Thursday - September 07, 2006

WoW: Pardo on their Success @ Gamasutra

by Dhruin, 22:42
Gamasutra is the latest site to cover the success of World of Warcraft, offering an interview in article format with Blizzard's Rob Pardo on the subject:
Blizzard, according to Pardo, envisions their market as a donut, with the core players at the center and a more casual audience around that. "It's increasingly important to appeal to both," Pardo said. Blizzard leans heavily on the "easy to learn, difficult to master" mantra, Pardo said, but also does things like lowering system requirements to build a broader audience.

To maximize both depth and accessibility, the company concentrates on depth first and accessibility later, Pardo said. "First we try to come up with what are really cool things, things that will get people to play for two to three years. Then we actually start talking about accessibility, how to make the content approachable and easy to learn. But it starts with depth first."

Wednesday - September 06, 2006

WoW: Scams @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:56
Blizzard has posted a warning regarding recent key logger scams at the official World of Warcraft site.
We'd like to make the community aware of a recent account-theft scam that is being circulated through email, game forums, in-game chat, and other mediums. This scam involves fake URLs, or hyperlinks, that once clicked will install harmful "keylogging" software intended to steal your World of Warcraft account name and password. After the creators of these keyloggers steal this information, they log into your account, immediately change your password to lock you out, and then sell all of your items and transfer all of your gold.

The scam comes in many forms, including URLs advertised as links to class guides, gameplay videos, and in many cases user-interface (UI) modifications. As a general rule, be extremely wary of URLs ending in ".jpg.html" and ".scr," as in many cases the harmful software is being hidden at locations that end with these extensions.

For these reasons, it is very important that players take caution when being directed to outside websites and update the security on their computers accordingly. To secure your computer, we suggest adding some Internet security to your system (for example: a firewall and anti-virus scanner). If you are unsure what security measures to take, discuss the issue of system security with your ISP or a trained Network Administrator for the solution that is right for you.

We also strongly recommend that all players use the Blizzard Launcher to start World of Warcraft. In addition to serving as a portal to the game, the Blizzard Launcher provides greater security for our players against harmful software such as the type discussed here. To learn more about this utility, please visit the Blizzard Launcher Page and check out the Blizzard Launcher FAQ.

If you come across a suspicious link or program, please report it here.

For more information on keeping your account secure and what to do if you feel your account has been compromised, please visit the Account Security page.

Source: World of Warcraft

Tuesday - September 05, 2006

WoW: End -Game Review @ MMORPG.com

by Dhruin, 01:02
MMORPG.com has a <a href="http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/gameId/15/setView/reviews/loadReview/41" target="_blank">review</a> of WoW's end-game. The score is 7.9/10 and here's a snip:<blockquote><em>Players who have reached level sixty can work on several things for their character in the end game of Warcraft. The two biggest that come to mind are PvP and raids. Warcrafta "!s end game is not based on achieving skills for your character, but on getting loot that will boost your charactera "!s abilities. Simply put, it is all about your gear. A player who is all geared up in epic armor and carrying an epic weapon will crush their opponents whether PC or NPC. I know, some NPCs are huge bosses that are designed for raids, but on a solo level, players who have acquired the best loot are extremely strong opponents. This dynamic has forced many (if not all) players to work on getting high-end gear for their characters. Using this gear based system Blizzard gives its players few choices to get the best armor and weapons.</em></blockquote>

Wednesday - August 30, 2006

Is it possible to surpass WoW? @ Gamasutra

by Dhruin, 03:59
Gamasutra has an piece titled <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=10678" target="_blank">Is It Possible to Surpass World of Warcraft?</a> - an excerpt of a report from analyst DFC Intelligence:<blockquote><em>First, however, it is important to debunk a persistent myth about WoWa "!s success. The confusion results from WoWa "!s status as a truly global game. We know, from the gamea "!s Chinese operator the9, that Warcraft has 5 million Chinese players. Of course, this is a terrific feat as WoW became the first Western game to penetrate the dense and difficult Chinese market. However, these Chinese users are not subscribers in the Western sense of the word: they do not pay a recurring monthly fee. In fact, they generate about 0.36 yuan per hour of gameplay; thata "!s about 4 cents an hour. Of course, Chinese users log a lot of hours. In the second quarter of 2006, World of Warcraft generated $32 million. While this is a substantial sum in the Chinese MMOG world, 5 million Western subscribers would have generated more than $200 million over the same time period. Thus, Chinese players generate about 15% as much revenue as their Western neighbors.</em></blockquote>

Monday - August 28, 2006

WoW: Burning Crusade Talent Preview @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:10
Head on over to the official World of Warcraft site for a first look at the talents and spells from the upcoming Burning Crusade expansion pack.
We've just released part one of the talents and spells preview for World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade. This preview features all new spells, abilities and talents* that will be available to the mage, paladin, rogue, shaman, warlock, and warrior classes in the upcoming expansion. Be sure to check back often for the next update with the other three classes' new and improved abilities.

Source: World of Warcraft

Saturday - August 26, 2006

WoW: An Elf By Any Other Name @ NeenerNeener.net

by Inauro, 03:16
NeenerNeener.net dropped us a line to let us know that the latest installment of Kwip's adventures, "<a href="http://www.neenerneener.net/?p=579" target="_blank">An Elf By Any Other Name</a>" is now online.<blockquote><em>We were laying siege to the hoo-mans at the Northwatch Hold. A fun little quest when youa "!ve got a couple friends with you, but I certainly wouldna "!t want to solo it - I have this terrible habit of standing around looting corpses right as a patrol shows up. I try my best to look inconspicuous, but ita "!s usually not very successful. Although I think hoo-mans are pretty stupid, even they dona "!t buy it when they catch me standing over the beaten bodies of their friends and I drop to all fours and say, "Uha ¦moo?" <br> <br>Ita "!s probably the large shield and hammer strapped to my back. Well, that and I was dancing on the corpses. Hey, they mighta "!ve bought it.</em></blockquote><a href="http://www.neenerneener.net/?p=579" target="_blank">More...</a>

Source: NeenerNeener.net

WoW: Forum Revamp @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:04
Blizzard has announced that the revamp of the official World of Warcraft forums is complete. The official site has the details.
We're happy to announce the full release of our new World of Warcraft Community Forums. Over the past months, we enlisted your help in trying out and testing many of the features and functions of our new setup. Once again, thank you for your contributions in improving this service; we look forward to receiving further feedback from you now that the new forums have been deployed.

Some of the new features:

* Updated Character Avatars
* Displayed Talent Builds
* Easier Navigation and Menus
* Increased Signature Space
* Honor Rank Display

Source: World of Warcraft

WoW: Screenshots @ 3D Gamers

by Inauro, 02:11
3D Gamers has a slew of new World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade screenshots available for your viewing pleasure.

Source: 3D Gamers

Friday - August 25, 2006

WoW Expansion Every Year @ GamesIndustry.biz

by Dhruin, 00:44
Foreshadowing a full upcoming interview, GamesIndustry.biz has an interesting comment from Blizzard's Paul Sams:
Blizzard COO Paul Sams has told GamesIndustry.biz that the company plans to release a new expansion pack for multi-million selling MMO World of Warcraft every year.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, Sams said, "Starting with The Burning Crusade, every year thereafter we plan on bringing out a new expansion set - so every 12 months."

Wednesday - August 23, 2006

WoW: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:20
Head on over to the official World of Warcraft site for the latest on:The Eastern Plaguelands Trailer
For years, tensions between the Alliance and the Horde have mounted as world-wide conflicts threaten to plunge the two factions into all-out war. Now, the Alliance has begun to tighten the noose, and whoever controls the towers in the Eastern Plaguelands controls the tide of battle... watch our brand-new outdoor PvP trailer of the Eastern Plaguelands on the World of Warcraft movies page.
Burning Crusade Screenshots
We've updated our screenshot gallery for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade with 31 images, including three new shots of the Blood Elves and Draenei in their starting areas.
The 1.12 Patch
The World of Warcraft team is happy to announce the release of "Drums of War", the new 1.12 content patch!

Highlights of Drums of War - Patch 1.12:

Cross-Server Battlegrounds: For the first time in the history of World of Warcraft, you will be able to face off against players from other realms in the Battlegrounds. PvP Battlegrounds link Alterac Valley, Warsong Gulch, and Arathi Basin so that players from several realms will be combined into one huge matchmaking pool. Replenish your mana, sharpen your blades, and get ready for some brand-new challengers!

World PvP: The stage is set for intense, objective-based land battles as Horde and Alliance vie for control over important strategic positions and resources around Azeroth. Head out for Silithus and Eastern Plaguelands to engage the enemy on the field!

Updated Rogue Talents
And more! You can read the entire patch notes here.

Source: World of Warcraft

Monday - August 21, 2006

WoW: New Realms @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:05
Blizzard has opened two new World of Warcraft realms. Here's the official announcement:
We are pleased to announce the opening of two new EST realms: Undermine which is a PvE realm and Anub'arak which is a new PvP realm. Undermine is being added as a part of Battlegroup 10 and Anub'arak will be a part of Battlegroup 11 once Cross-Realm Battlegrounds are released. These new realms will provide a great place for new and old players alike to begin fresh adventures within the world of Azeroth. Enjoy!

*Important Update to Paid Character Transfers for New Realms

Based on popular feedback, all new realms will now be eligible for Paid Character Transfers after 6 months of being open, instead of the previous 3 months. Realms not yet open for transfers will remain closed for 6 months, meaning if a realm has been open for 2 months, it will require another 4 months in order to be eligible as a transfer destination realm. All realms which are currently available for transfers will remain available. This extension was made to allow communities on new realms enough time to establish their position on the realm before allowing other characters to join.

For more information about this service, please visit the Paid Character Transfers page.

Source: World of Warcraft

Friday - August 18, 2006

WoW: Insider PvP Interview

by Dhruin, 00:10
The latest WoW Insider has an <a href="http://www.wow-europe.com/en/misc/wowinsider/wowi09/interview.html" target="_blank">interview</a> with Tom Chilton on the past and future of PvP in WoW:<blockquote><em><b>Insider: The Honor System was introduced more than a year ago, on April 19, 2005. There were some PvP hotbeds when the PvP system was first introduced. Did you foresee those forming?</b><br><br>Tom Chilton: We knew that it was probably going to change the way people played a lot. It was probably going to get a lot more people to PvP than were doing so regularly, because there weren't a whole lot of reasons to do it before, other than just for its own sake. We figured that the amount of PvP was going to go up quite a bit.<br><br>We figured there would be some hotspots, but it was hard to predict exactly where. Even before we launched the Honor System, Tarren Mill and Southshore were hotspots already for the people that were PvPing, along with the Crossroads, so it wasna "!t any big surprise that those flared up more. The sheer degree to which they flared up was pretty surprising, but it was also interesting to see. It was pretty crazy actually playing in, too. I remember you could run up to Southshore or Tarren Mill, and you wouldna "!t really see what was going on, no players would load into the screen. And then, bam, theya "!d all load in at once and then, youa "!d die within a couple of seconds. It was pretty crazy.</em></blockquote>

Saturday - August 12, 2006

WoW: Mike Morhaime Interview @ Mercury News

by Dhruin, 23:49
Blizzard chief Mike Morhaime has been <a href="http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/08/an_interview_wi.html" target="_blank">interviewed</a> at the Mercury News, mostly covering the success of WoW, although other topics get a brief mention. Here's an excerpt:<blockquote><em><b>Q: Why did you beat everybody else?</b><br><br>A: I think there were several factors. Certainly the history of Warcraft games gave us a great following of people who had played the games. They were interested in seeing what we could do with the Warcraft universe. There were people around the world that had just played other Blizzard games and appreciated our attention to detail and commitment to quality. Also, one of our philosophies at Blizzard is we make our games as accessible as we can. You dona "!t have to have played MMORGs to figure out what it is youa "!re supposed to do. Traditionally, this has been a genre focused on the hardcore. Steep learning curve. Full interface to learn. Huge upfront time investment to figure out what youa "!re supposed to do. I think lowering a lot of those barriers made this game accessible to people who dona "!t normally play this type of game. And finally, we have been very successful in Asia. We have Korea, China. We have had great success with Starcraft, Diablo and Warcraft there. So when World of Warcraft came out, we werena "!t this unknown American company releasing this game. Blizzard Entertainment was a very well known brand.</em></blockquote>

Source: Blue's

Sunday - August 06, 2006

WoW: Warcraft Weekly @ Official Site

by Dhruin, 02:11
The latest Warcraft Weekly is up, offering links to key forums threads and developer comments.

Monday - July 31, 2006

WoW: Art Contest, Blood Elf & Draenei Classes @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:18
Blizzard has announced an art contest and revealed details of the classes available to Blood Elves and the Draenei.

Art Contest
Blizzard Entertainment is proud to announce the first annual Blizzard Art Contest! We're looking for talented artists to create their favorite characters, monsters, or locations from the Warcraft, StarCraft, or Diablo universes in both 2D and 3D formats. We'll be posting the winning submissions on our sites, and we're also offering some really cool prizes. Interested? Click here for more information.
Blood Elf & Draenei Classes
With the dangers and rewards beyond the Dark Portal coming every closer, which classes will be available to the two new races in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade? Will the blood elves be able to use the arcane arts or the draenei wield elemental magic?

Take a look at our draenei and blood elf pages to find the answers and to learn more about these two mysterious races.

Source: World of Warcraft

Saturday - July 29, 2006

WoW: Outdoor PvP Preview @ Official Site

by Inauro, 01:13
Blizzard has revealed details of the outdoor PvP gameplay that will be on offer to players of World of Warcraft with the release of the next patch.
he next patch for World of Warcraft will include significant new updates to PvP gameplay. One of these updates is the addition of two outdoor world PvP objectives. Although details of these features are subject to change during development, we'd like to provide you with a general idea of what to expect. Check out our new outdoor PvP information page to learn more about the new challenges that await you in the Eastern Plaguelands and in Silithus.

Source: World of Warcraft

Thursday - July 27, 2006

WoW: Vivendi Reaping WoW Rewards @ Gamespot

by Inauro, 23:06
Gamespot has a short piece on how the success of World of Warcraft is benefitting Blizzard's parent company Vivendi.
Virtually every sector of Vivendi's extensive television and telecommunications holdings saw increased profit. However, no sector saw bigger growth than Vivendi Games, which is the owner of Blizzard and the recipient of the buckets of ducats that WOW generates. The division took in 162 million euros ($206 million) for the April-June quarter, an increase of 29.6 percent over its Q2 2005 income. The first half of 2006 saw Vivendi Games' gross haul add up to 296 million euros ($376.4 million), an increase of 24.4 percent over the previous year.
More...

Source: Gamespot

Wednesday - July 26, 2006

WoW: Summer Movie Contest @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:15
Blizzard and Xfire have teamed up for a World of Warcraft <a href="http://worldofwarcraft.com/contests/xfire2/index.xml" target="_blank">Summer Movie Contest</a>.<blockquote><em>Are you an aspiring filmmaker? If so, you've come to the right place! The World of Warcraft Summer Movie Contest sponsored by Xfire is an excellent way for you to show off your talents. We're looking for players to produce movies, set in Azeroth, in four main categories:<br><br> * Dance<br> * Comedy<br> * Drama<br> * Two-Minute Short<br><br>The content requirements for the movies are open-ended, as long as the movies are created in game.<br><br>This contest runs from July 25, 2006 to September 12, 2006. A variety of prizes, such as XFX GeForcea c 7900 GT video cards (PCI-Express) and Sennheiser PC160SK headphones, will be awarded for the top-five entries in each of the categories listed above. To read the official rules and regulations and view a complete list of Xfire's prizes, visit Xfire's contest page <a href="http://www.xfire.com/cms/xf_wow_contest_summer#main" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></blockquote>

Source: World of Warcraft

Saturday - July 22, 2006

WoW: Cross-Faction Classes @ Official Site

by Inauro, 02:33
Blizzard has revealed that certain class-race combinations previously unavailable to players of World of Warcraft will be offered in the upcoming Burning Crusade expansion.
As we draw closer to the release of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, more of the secrets shrouding the draenei and blood elves are being revealed. In the upcoming expansion, you will finally be able to play classes that were previously unavailable to your faction. The blood elves have harnessed the power of the Light for their own needs, and the Horde recognizes the value of these renegade blood elf paladins. Meanwhile, the draenei have been granted the wisdom and strength of the elements, and a number of draenei now follow the path of the shaman.

Read our new information page to learn more about the new class combinations available to players of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.

Source: World of Warcraft

Wednesday - July 19, 2006

WoW: Flying Mounts @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:38
Flying mounts are sure to be one of the bigger draw cards in the forthcoming World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade expansion, and the official site has some additional details.
One of the most exciting new features of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade will be the introduction of a new kind of mount that will provide players with unprecedented freedom to explore the world of Outland from an entirely new perspective. After reaching level 70, players will eventually be able to obtain flying mounts for their characters. The nether drake is one of these.

Read more about the flying mounts of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade on our new information page about the nether drake, and also make sure to watch the new nether drake trailer!

Source: World of Warcraft

Saturday - July 15, 2006

WoW: Cross-Realm Battlegroups @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:40
The next <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com" target="_blank">World of Warcraft</a> content patch promises to deliver cross-realm PvP. The official site has the details.<blockquote><em>The next content patch will allow you to join players from other realms in the battlegrounds. To designate which realms will be playing with each other, all realms will be organized into battlegroups -- each battlegroup is a collection of realms that share their battlegrounds. You can now check out the full <a href="http://worldofwarcraft.com/pvp/battlegrounds/battlegroups.html" target="_blank">battlegroup list</a> to find out which battlegroup youa "!re in and which realms you'll be competing with once the next content patch is released.</em></blockquote>

Source: World of Warcraft

Friday - July 14, 2006

WoW: New Art & Troll Compendium Update @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:24
Blizzard has updated the World of Warcraft Wallpapers and Blizzard Fan Art sections of the official World of Warcraft site in addition to adding new information to the Troll Compendium.

Source: World of Warcraft

Thursday - July 13, 2006

WoW: New Servers @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:29
Blizzard has announced the launch of two new World of Warcraft servers.
We are pleased to announce the opening of two new realms: The Venture Co, which is a RP-PvP realm, and Sentinels, which is a new RP realm. These new realms will provide a great place for new and old players alike to begin fresh adventures within the world of Azeroth. Enjoy!

Source: World of Warcraft

WoW: PvP Enhancements @ IGN

by Inauro, 04:13
IGN takes a closer look at the forthcoming changes to PvP in Blizzard's World of Warcraft.
It's no secret that an MMO must continue to evolve and add content to keep people coming back, and World of Warcraft is no different. Since its launch in November 2004, we've seen the introduction of several large dungeons, zones, and seasonal celebrations, not to mention new loot, crafting recipes, and Battlegrounds, the popular PvP arenas that Blizzard will be enhancing with cross-realm support in the upcoming 1.12 patch (which, interestingly, will be available on the Public Test Realm ahead of the patch's final release). If you're a player who regularly waits an hour or more for a PvP match that may only last ten minutes, cross-server Battleground should bring some much-needed relief from the waiting game, as well as making Alterac Valley a viable option for people who are playing on servers not in their time zone.
More...

Source: IGN

Tuesday - July 11, 2006

WoW: Interactive Rogue Talent Preview @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:25
Blizzard has added an interactive preview of the upcoming Rogue Talent overhaul to the official World of Warcraft site.

Source: World of Warcraft

Monday - July 10, 2006

WoW: Performance bugs Blizzard again @ GameSpot

by Dhruin, 22:19
From GameSpot:
World of Warcraft, Blizzard's phenomenally successful fantasy MMOG, has once again come under the spotlight after a number of complaints from the game's online community. Players are venting their frustration about significant disruptions to their playing experience, characterized by lag spikes--long pauses in action when information ceases to flow between the game server and the user's computer--and seemingly random disconnects.

The issues, especially those surrounding lag, have been an ongoing problem for some months on selected European servers previously, but after work by Blizzard and its partners on identifying the issues, and some hardware upgrades, the matter seemed to have been resolved.

Friday - July 07, 2006

WoW: Site Overhaul @ Official Site

by Inauro, 05:28
The official <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com" target="_blank">World of Warcraft</a> site has been overhauled. Here's the word from Blizzard:<blockquote><em>The new main page design is now officially online! The official World of Warcraft community website has undergone a complete redesign to improve both accessibility and user friendliness. We have expanded the left side menu so that all web content is now just one mouse click away, allowing you to find exactly what youa "!re looking for within seconds. The main page has been restructured as well, making it much easier to keep track of the most recent news, events, and updates to the game. <br> <br>Welcome to World of Warcrafta "!s new face on the web!</em></blockquote>

Source: World of Warcraft

Wednesday - July 05, 2006

WoW: Rogue Talent Review & Warcraft Weekly @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:17
A recent post in the official World of Warcraft forums gives us a first glimpse at the proposed Rogue Talent Review. Snip:
The review is well underway and we wanted to share a sort of first glimpse into the changes being made for the rogue talent review. Keep in mind that these changes are not complete or final, and the below information is likely to alter as we move into our testing phases. While not everything is listed, the below list encompasses the majority of changes being made in the review.

I'll be working in the weeks to come to get as much additional information as possible, but it is likely that quite a bit of the final information regarding talent changes will not be fully announced until the talent calculators go live. Of course you'll also be able to actually play around with the changes too once the Public Test Realms go up.

I'm going to just list the changes and provide additional information where possible or necessary. Let's get to it.

# The following talents have been removed: Improved Deadly Poison, Improved Distract, Throwing Weapon Specialization, Improved Vanish, and Rapid Concealment.

# Improved Instant Poison is now "Improved Poisons" and increases your chance to apply ALL poisons by 2/4/6/8/10%.
Also in the headlines at the official World of Warcraft site is the latest edition of the Warcraft Weekly. Head on over and catch up with the latest from the official message boards.

Source: World of Warcraft

Tuesday - July 04, 2006

WoW: July Ask the Devs @ Stratics

by Inauro, 00:59
WoWStratics is once again seeking questions to ask the World of Warcraft developers.
I am a bit late in opening up our Q&A for the month of July. So because of this the closing date for your questions will be extended until July 18th.

So here it is again, your chance to send us what YOU would like to ask the WoW Developers!

You can submit your question here, we will pick the best ten and forward them on to the WoW Developers!

Make sure you check back often to see if your question was sent!

Source: WoWStratics

Saturday - July 01, 2006

WoW: Realm Transfers & Fan Art @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:14
A number of new pieces of fan art have been added to the Blizzard Fan Art Section of the official World of Warcraft site.

In other news, the following realms are now available for paid character transfer.
Eight more realms are eligible for the Paid Character Transfer. You can now transfer characters off of these realms:

* Burning Blade
* Durotan
* Earthen Ring
* Elune
* Laughing Skull
* Lothar
* Medivh
* Shadow Moon

For a full list of eligible realms, please click here. We will continue to scale up the list of realms to accommodate more players as quickly as possible.

To learn more about Paid Character Transfer, please visit the Paid Character Transfer FAQ.

Source: World of Warcraft

WoW: Flying Mounts Video @ IGN

by Inauro, 03:05
IGN has some video footage of the flying mounts being added to World of Warcraft in the upcoming Burning Crusade expansion pack.

Source: IGN

Thursday - June 29, 2006

WoW: Realm Transfers @ Official Site

by Inauro, 00:41
Blizzard has announced the availability of the following World of Warcraft realms for paid character transfers:
Seven more realms are eligible for the Paid Character Transfer. You can now transfer characters off of these realms:

* Arthas
* Zul'jin
* Stormrage
* Dalaran
* Turalyon
* Magtheridon
* Spirestone

For a full list of eligible realms, please click here. We will continue to scale up the list of realms to accommodate more players as quickly as possible.

Source: World of Warcraft

Wednesday - June 28, 2006

WoW: Paid Transfer Service goes Live

by Dhruin, 01:28
From the World of Warcraft site:
We are happy to announce the availability of the Paid Character Transfer service for World of Warcraft. You can find this feature in the account-management section of the official World of Warcraft website. This new functionality will allow you to transfer characters to other realms (within certain restrictions) in order to join friends and family or make new friends and allies. Learn more about this new feature in our Paid Character Transfer FAQ.

The initial launch of the Paid Character Transfer service will only allow transfers between a limited set of realms. You can now transfer characters off of these realms:

  • Altar of Storms

  • Argent Dawn

  • Demon Soul

  • Illidan

  • Warsong


We'll gradually scale up the list of realms to accommodate more players as quickly as possible. To start transferring your characters, just log in to the account-management section and click the Paid Character Transfer button. Good luck in your continued adventures in Azeroth, and have fun on your new realm!

Sunday - June 25, 2006

WoW: Community Spotlight & Warcraft Weekly @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:20
Under the Community Spotlight at the official World of Warcraft site this week is a fan made machinima entitled "Eternal Legend".
An amazing fan made machinima for World of Warcraft entitled "Eternal Legend", produced by a member of our Taiwanese community, has recently made its way onto our monitors. With amazing production value and quick paced action it quickly spread through our forums as a benchmark for future World of Warcraft in-game film making. Click here to watch Eternal Legend!
Also in the headlines is the latest edition of the Warcraft Weekly in which the latest developer forum posts are collected for your information.

Source: World of Warcraft

Friday - June 23, 2006

WoW: Realm Transfers Interview @ Gamespot

by Inauro, 03:20
Gamespot talks with Blizzard's lead producer Shane Dabiri about the upcoming realm transfer system that will offer players the option to pay to transfer their characters from one realm to another.<blockquote><em><b>GS</b>: Speaking of the fee, Blizzard is charging $25 per character transfer. Is this to prevent people from abusing the feature? Will you be able to transfer a character as much as you want, so long as you're willing to pay $25 each time? And what sorts of transfer restrictions are there in general?<br><br><b>SD</b>: A character can only be transferred to a new realm once every six months, and once completed, a character transfer cannot be reversed. Also, there will be both character and realm restrictions. For example, you will need to be at least level 10 to transfer realms, and youa "!ll only be able to carry over a certain amount of gold. The cap is set at 300 gold for characters between levels 10 and 30, 1,000 gold for characters between levels 31 and 50, and characters at level 51 and above can bring a maximum of 5,000 gold. </em></blockquote><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/news/6153087.html" target="_blank">More...</a>

Source: Gamespot

WoW: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:15
Blizzard has been busy over at the official World of Warcraft site. Making headlines today are updates to the Burning Crusade bestiary page, the troll compendium, and the Blizzard Fan Art Section.

Source: World of Warcraft

Thursday - June 22, 2006

WoW: 1.12 Patch Preview @ Official Site

by Inauro, 05:58
With the 1.11 patch barely on the servers, Blizzard is already busy on the next content addition. Head on over to the official site for a preview of the forthcoming 1.12 patch.
Cross-Realm Battlegrounds

For the first time in the history of World of Warcraft, you will be able to face off against players from other realms in the Battlegrounds. Coming in patch 1.12 are cross-realm PvP Battlegrounds, linking Alterac Valley, Warsong Gulch, and Arathi Basin so that players from several realms will be combined into one huge matchmaking pool. Replenish your mana, sharpen your blades, and get ready for some brand-new challengers!
More...

Source: World of Warcraft

WoW: 1.11 Patch Report @ IGN

by Inauro, 05:56
IGN takes a closer look at the latest World of Warcraft patch.
While previous updates to World of Warcraft have been relatively low-key affairs, and the opening of Ahn'Qiraj oriented towards level 60 dungeon raiders, the latest content update affects the entire game world. Menacing ziggurats have appeared near Azeroth's major cities, floating in midair and pulsating with evil. The Argent Dawn has arrived in Ironforge, Stormwind City, and several other major hubs, appealing to the higher-level players to come to Light's Hope Chapel in the Eastern Plaguelands, where we will take up arms against the worldwide Scourge invasion and eventually make our way into Naxxramas, a huge dungeon levitating above EPL.
More...

Source: IGN

WoW: Patch 1.11 Goes Live @ GameSpy

by Dhruin, 01:07
GameSpy has an overview and some commentary on the latest Shadow of the Necropolis patch for WoW:
In addition to the new dungeon, players will take part in a special event spanning several weeks, known as the Scourge Invasion. Throughout Azeroth, special crystal shards have appeared, acting as the spawning point for waves of undead. By beating the invaders back, players will complete new quests (mostly available at Light's Hope Chapel) and acquire new items and gear. Areas where invasions are taking place are easily viewable on the global map, and as servers came back online today, it wasn't long before hundreds of players descended upon each shard to destroy wave after wave of undead invaders.

WoW: Ask the Developers @ Stratics

by Dhruin, 00:28
WoW.Stratics has their latest bi-monthly community Q&A, with questions answered by Tom Chilton (Lead Designer) and Jeff Kaplan (Lead Designer):
If I don't have any level 60 characters, and probably won't by the time the expansion is released. Will it be worth it for me to buy the expansion? Specifically, will there be any instances, quests or areas that are part of the expansion for characters level 1-59, and will the new battlegrounds be for level 60-70 characters only? - Garrett Guillotte from the Feathermoon realm.

A. There will be new zones for levels 1-20, new pvp features and content will be accessible by players who have not quite reached level 60, and there will be a brand-new profession: jewelcrafting. With that being said, please keep in mind that the new content is primarily oriented toward players who are either starting new characters or continuing their max-level characters.

Wednesday - June 21, 2006

WoW: Midsummer Fire Festival @ Official Site

by Inauro, 07:26
Blizzard has announced a new in-game event, the Midsummer Fire Festival.
The Midsummer Fire Festival is here, signaling a time of merriment and a chance to revel in the hottest season of the year by lighting celebratory bonfires across the land and sharing in what the elemental spirits have to offer. Learn more about the new Midsummer Fire Festival events and rewards here!
Also of note at the official site today, is the news that the World of Warcraft Guide has been updated to reflect the changes made in the 1.11 patch.
We've updated the World of Warcraft guide for the 1.11 patch, Shadow of the Necropolis. Some of the major updates include:

* New flight paths added to the world map
* New epic rewards for Warsong Gulch
* New PvP weapons
* Cenarion Circle class quest rewards updated

Source: World of Warcraft

WoW: Shadow of the Necropolis v1.11 Patch Released

by Dhruin, 00:03
Blizzard has released Shadow of the Necropolis: Patch 1.11. Here are the highlights from the site and hit the link for the entire notes:
Highlights of Shadow of the Necropolis - Patch 1.11:
  • New Raid Dungeon - Naxxramas
  • Tier 3 Raid Armor Sets
  • Updated Mage and Shaman Talents
  • New Argent Dawn and Cenarion Circle Faction Rewards
  • Upgraded PvP Armor Sets
  • New Feature: Keyrings
  • New Flightpaths
  • And much more!
You can also grab the 455Mb file from 3D Gamers or Gamers Hell.

Tuesday - June 20, 2006

WoW: Warcraft Weekly @ Official Site

by Inauro, 06:54
A new edition of the Warcraft Weekly is online at the official World of Warcraft site. Head on over to catch the latest developer posts from the forums.

Source: World of Warcraft

WoW: Q&A @ WoW Stratics

by Inauro, 06:47
Back in May the team at WoW Stratics submitted a series of questions to the World of Warcraft development team. The questions have been answered, and the Q&A is now available at WoW Stratics.
Why do Darkspear (Jungle) trolls yell "For Zul'jin!", when Zul'jin is a forest troll?- Robert Dooley from the Daggerspine realm.

A. Zul'jin is honored by most troll tribes for both his valor and leadership. Even the jungle trolls hold his legend in the highest esteem.

IE Does a higher skilled fisherman(woman) catch fish faster than a someone of lower skill? Or maybe higher skill has a higher chance of catching better fish? - Chuck from the Azjul-Nerub realm.

A. The Fishing skill only determines whether you catch a fish, it does not determine what the fish is or how fast it is caught.
More...

Source: WoW Stratics

Saturday - June 17, 2006

WoW: New Forums, Realms, Spotlight & Trolls @ Official Site

by Inauro, 05:11
Blizzard has been busy over at the official World of Warcraft site. Here's a brief rundown on the latest updates.

Troll Compendium.
We have just released an extensive source of information on the trolls, one of Azeroth's most ancient civilizations. The Troll Compendium features a lot of interesting background material about early troll history, the trolls' role in the Horde, and also some new insights about trollish customs and society. You can check out the new Troll Compendium here.
New Realms.
We're pleased to announce the opening of two new realms: Aerie Peak, a PvE realm, and Lethon, a PvP realm. These new realms will provide a great place for new and old players alike to begin fresh adventures in Azeroth.
Community Spotlight.
If you have ever wanted to know what recipes are available for your profession, Warcry's World of Warcraft fan site now has a complete list of recipes, including what reagents they require, and what they create, all able to be arranged by profession type. Click here to start window shopping!
Forums
We're in the final stages of development for our new World of Warcraft forums, and we need your help to make sure everything is bolted on tight. The new forums will offer the same great place for World of Warcraft players to congregate and discuss the game, but with a new look and some new features. Go check them out, and while you're there, please provide us with bug reports and any other comments you have. Please note that all of our current forums will remain live while we beta test these new forums.

Source: World of Warcraft

Friday - June 16, 2006

WoW: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 07:57
Blizzard has updated the Bestiary page for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade and added a selection of new fan art to the Blizzard Fan Art section of the official site.

Also of note is the following announcement regarding the WoW Pen-and-Paper RPG.
The official World of Warcraft pen-and-paper role-playing game (RPG) offers Warcraft background material and stories that you can't find anywhere else. Now you can download "Bones of Ironforge", a complete adventure and introduction into White Wolf's World of Warcraft RPG. Gather some friends, stack up on snacks, and get those dice rolling! With brand new adventures to experience, Azeroth will never be the same after you leave your mark.

If you enjoyed "Bones of Ironforge" or if you already play White Wolf's World of Warcraft RPG, you may also want to take advantage of White Wolf's Week of Warcraft special from June 14 through June 21. Go to www.white-wolf.com/weekofwarcraft for more details!

Source: World of Warcraft

Thursday - June 15, 2006

WoW: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 07:34
Blizzard has updated the official World of Warcraft site with a few new items.

Lanwar Update.
The World Series of Video Games' Lanwar event is upon us and is set to kick off at 10:00 AM in Louisville, KY on Thursday, June 15, so we'd like to release some helpful info for those planning to attend the show and participate in the Blizzard tournaments and contests. Please visit our World of Warcraft Lanwar page for the following information:

* World of Warcraft Tournament FAQs
* StarCraft, Warcraft III, and Defense of the Ancients FAQs
* World of Warcraft: Undead Stratholme race � gear list
* World of Warcraft: Warsong Gulch � gear list
* Blizzard event schedule
Screenshots.
Have you already seen all our screenshots of the day? Then check out the European World of Warcraft Screenshots archive for a completely new collection of screenshots, such as this gem...
Argent Dawn Update.
The Argent Dawn reputations page has been updated with more rewards of superior and epic quality! Check out the new reputation rewards and new recipes in store for those who have proven their dedication to the Argent Dawn's fight against the Scourge. Click here to see what new items await you!

Source: World of Warcraft

Wednesday - June 14, 2006

WoW: Figurines & New Map @ Official Site

by Inauro, 06:52
Brady Games has brought out a new World of Warcraft map.
The new World of Warcraft World Map from BradyGames is a perfect blend of form and function. Whether you put the detailed artwork on display or use it to make your way through Azeroth, this two-sided poster makes a great addition to your game room or World of Warcraft collection.

Side 1 shows a map of Azeroth, unfettered - with a clear view of the topography of the continents. Side 2 includes all flight paths, as well as labeled cities, dungeons, and regions. The full-color, large-format design fits standard 36" x 48" poster frames, and it ships rolled in a tube to prevent fold marks. This exclusive map is only available at BradyGames.com.
Also making headlines at the official World of Warcraft site is a new range of figurines.
Set two of the World of Warcraft limited edition bronze figurines is now available! Made from ink-washed bronze with a very high level of detail, these sixteen collectibles depicting every race and class available in World of Warcraft can be used as playing pieces, bragging rights, or as a cool decoration for your desk. Check them out at the Fantasy Flight Games website.

Source: World of Warcraft

Tuesday - June 13, 2006

WoW: Realm Transfers & Bannings @ Official Site

by Inauro, 07:59
Blizzard has announced that it banned over 30,000 <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com" target="_blank">World of Warcraf</a>t accounts for Terms of Use violations during May 2006. Also announced recently, the following Realm Transfers.<blockquote><em>We will be opening realm-to-realm character transfers from select PvP realms to Cho'gall and Korgath on Monday, June 12 at 3:00 AM PDT. The destination realms currently have lower population than the chosen transfer realms, and should make a good home for those seeking to build a name for themselves on Azeroth.<br><br>PvP realm Cho'gall - Deadline: Thursday, June 15 at 3:00 PM PDT<br>Players on these 3 realms will have the opportunity to transfer to the PvP realm Cho'gall:<br><br> Bleeding Hollow a  > Cho'gall<br> Mannoroth a  > Cho'gall<br> Skullcrusher a  > Cho'gall<br><br>PvP realm Korgath - Deadline: Thursday, June 15 at 3:00 PM PDT<br>Players on these 3 realms will have the opportunity to transfer to the PvP realm Korgath:<br><br> Shattered Hand a  > Korgath<br> Stormreaver a  > Korgath<br> Warsong a  > Korgath<br><br>The transfers are scheduled to close at 3:00 PM PDT on June 15. However, we urge any players who wish to transfer to do so at their earliest possible convenience, as transfers may be closed earlier than expected depending on volume. Please note that standard character creation will be disabled on the two destination realms until the transfer process has completed.<br><br>Also, as a reminder, our normal schedule for conducting character transfers between eligible realms is from 3:00 AM PDT to 3:00 PM PDT, Monday through Friday. That schedule will be in effect for as long as this upcoming transfer period remains active.<br><br>If you're interested in transferring your characters from the realms listed above to the new realms, <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/account/character-move.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>. </em></blockquote>

Source: World of Warcraft

Saturday - June 10, 2006

WoW: Updates @ Official Site

by Dhruin, 07:52
The World of Warcraft site has a bunch of new stuff to check out. There's new Fan Art and the Talent Calculators have been redesigned:
We have just released an improved version of our popular talent calculators. You will now see all three trees for each class on the same page, and the click responsiveness has been greatly improved under Internet Explorer. Talents that unlock new class abilities will now also display all trainable ranks of the associated ability. We hope you enjoy our new talent calculators!
...new Oceanic Realms are open:
We're happy to announce the opening of two new Oceanic realms: Aman'Thul a PvE realm, and Barthilas, a PvP realm. These realms will go live tonight at 11:59 PM PDT, June 8th, placing these realms live at approximately 4:59 PM GMT+10, June 9th. This will allow our Oceanic players to begin creating characters at a time comfortable for them. These two new realms will offer our Oceanic players, new and old alike, fresh beginnings in Azeroth!
...the latest Warcraft Weekly is out and news of 30,000 accounts closed for cheating.

Friday - June 09, 2006

WoW: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 06:06
Blizzard has updated the World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Bestiary, updated the Talent Calculator, and announced the launch of two new Oceanic realms.
We're happy to announce the opening of two new Oceanic realms: Aman'Thul a PvE realm, and Barthilas, a PvP realm. These realms will go live tonight at 11:59 PM PDT, June 8th, placing these realms live at approximately 4:59 PM GMT+10, June 9th. This will allow our Oceanic players to begin creating characters at a time comfortable for them. These two new realms will offer our Oceanic players, new and old alike, fresh beginnings in Azeroth!

Source: World of Warcraft

Thursday - June 08, 2006

WoW: Community Spotlight Archive Updated @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:52
Blizzard has updated the Community Spotlight Archive at the official World of Warcraft site.
Have you missed a previous issue of the Community Spotlight? No problem, just visit the Community Spotlight Archive, where we've collected many of the Community Spotlights from 2005 and 2006. You'll find links to a lot of cool and useful web content about World of Warcraft there, so be sure to check it out.

Source: World of Warcraft

WoW: Editorials @ The Escapist

by Inauro, 04:27
The latest issue of The Escapist has a trio of articles examining the rise of Blizzard Entertainment and the impact of World of Warcraft.

Secret Sauce: The Rise of Blizzard by Russ Pitts.
In 1991, the internet didn't exist.

That is to say, it did exist (and had for some time), but to the majority of Americans it might as well have been a huffalump until the creation of the World Wide Web in (approximately) 1992, when the internet would begin to become both widely understood, and easy-to-use (therefore "of interest" to most people).
Exodus by Shannon Drake.
It used to be the stuff of blues legend: Sign a contract at the Crossroads, lose a little bit of your soul, and get wealth and success until Ol' Scratch called in the contract at the end of time. Blizzard Entertainment may not have much in common with a poor man out of Mississippi, but both attained the stature of legend, and both may have lost a little piece of their souls. Blizzard made games so incredibly popular (World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo), their success transformed the company culture and managed to burn out the creative team that made them a household name.
Ripples in the Pond - The Impact of World of Warcraft on the Massive Genre, by Michael Zenke.
Some things take the world by surprise. The popularity of Katamari Damacy came as quite a shock to Namco. Prior to 1997, no one had ever heard of Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling. World of Warcraft (WoW) didn't just catch the world off-guard, it knocked it flat to the canvas. In early 2004, the game's well publicized beta had fans slavering at the mouth. When the game launched in November of that year, retail outlets couldn't stock their shelves quickly enough. Since then, WoW has remained at or near the top of PC game sales in the U.S. and abroad. Today, over six million souls inhabit the fictional realm of Azeroth. Everyone, at least according to Blizzard, is playing World of Warcraft.

Source: The Escapist

Tuesday - June 06, 2006

WoW: Figurine Contest @ WoWBreak

by Inauro, 03:05
WoWBreak and Fantasy Flight Games have teamed up for a new contest. In order to be eligible for the contest you do need to sign up for a WoWBreak account, but as this is free it's not too great a hurdle.
WoWBreak and Fantasy Flight Games are giving away one complete set of the World of Warcraft Set One Limited Edition figures for our June contest! These bronze heroes from World of Warcraft are cast in bronze with a black ink wash, bringing out an incredible level of detail. This is the complete Set One, including the Night Elf Warrior, the Orc Warrior, the Tauren Hunter, the Gnome Mage, the Dwarf Hunter, the Human Warlock, the Forsaken Warlock, and the Troll Priest. We will be giving away the "Set Two" version of the Limited Edition figures in another contest we will hold in July.
More...

Source: WoWBreak

Sunday - June 04, 2006

WoW: Lanwar Registration Details @ Official Site

by Inauro, 02:12
Those players who have registered for the Lanwar event to be held in Louisville, Kentucky might want to head on over to the official World of Warcraft site for further details.
Those who have registered for WSVG Lanwar in Kentucky can now register for the unofficial tournaments the Blizzard team will be running at the event.

* To save your BYOC seat at Lanwar, register first at the official website here. There are still spaces open in both Blizzard BYOC areas.
* Once you've signed up for the event, sign-ups for all the Blizzard tournaments can be found here.

Source: World of Warcraft

Saturday - June 03, 2006

WoW: Warcraft Weekly @ Official Site

by Inauro, 02:41
A new edition of the Warcraft Weekly is available at the official World of Warcraft site. The Weekly collates the latest forums posts made by Blizzard's development team.

Source: World of Warcraft

Friday - June 02, 2006

WoW: The Scourge Invasion @ Official Site

by Inauro, 05:04
Blizzard has revealed details of the Scourge Invasion scheduled for the next major World of Warcraft content patch.
With our next major content patch, Shadow of the Necropolis, players will have access to the new high-level raid dungeon Naxxramas, the seat of Kel'Thuzad, one of the most feared enemies the world of Warcraft has ever known. Horrors of the past and new terrors yet to be unleashed are converging inside the necropolis as the Lich King's servants prepare their assault. Soon, the Scourge will march again...

Learn more about the Scourge Invasion, the new world event coming with the next patch.

Source: World of Warcraft

Saturday - May 27, 2006

WoW: Warcraft Weekly @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:43
A new edition of the Warcraft Weekly in which the latest forum posts by the World of Warcraft development team are rounded up is online at the official site.

Source: World of Warcraft

Information about

World of Warcraft

Developer: Blizzard

SP/MP: Massive
Setting: Fantasy
Genre: MMORPG
Combat: Real-time
Play-time: Over 60 hours
Voice-acting: Partially voiced

Regions & platforms
North America
· Homepage
· Platform: PC
· Released: 2004-11-23
· Publisher: Vivendi Games