WoW Tyrael Pet In The Polygonial Flesh

Like me, many of you folks drooled over the mere idea of the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational exclusive Archangel Tyrael pet for World of Warcraft. Now we get to see the little guy who'll have players /telling the lucky recipients with "Were'd u get tht?" from now until the end of time. Blizzard just updated the WoW build on the public test realms, and the nice folks at MMO Champion rooted around in there until they came up with these images of the in-game model for the Diablo II (and presumably III) star.

I want one. Strike that, I need one. My soul cries out for it, but not so badly that I am willing to spend more than of $600 to snag one off of eBay. I'll just use the old model-swapping technique. Sure, no one else will see him and he'll make panda noises, but the screenshots will be fantastic.

Tyrael Mini Pet, Blizz Auth, Blue posts [MMO Champion - Thanks Jim!]

Blizzard WWI WoW Pet Revealed

Well that cinches it...I am going to have to call out a hit on Leslie Smith, for in her Blizzard Worldwide Invitational swag package she received a key redeemable for a new World of Warcraft pet. While not something I am normally too worried about, Blizzard poster Barnakk in the WoW forums just revealed what exactly the mystery pet is.

The pet itself will be a miniature version of the Archangel Tyrael of Diablo 2 fame who will travel with you on all your grand adventures in Azeroth! Pictures of this amazing new pet will be available on the official website soon for everybody to check out.

That's right, Archangel Tyrael from Diablo II, who now graces the main page of the Diablo III website. I need him, if only to counteract the evil forces of my Collector's Edition mini-Diablo. Sorry Leslie, nothing personal!

Worldwide Invitational In-Game Pet Redemption [WoW Forums via WorldofWar.net]

Last month I had to choose between flying out to Paris to check out Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational and, it turns out, Diablo III or going on vacation. I sided with my sanity and decided to take a short leave from the site.

I've been spending my day or so back from vacation reading through all of the coverage that came out of the City of Lights. There's been quite a bit to read. If you missed out over the weekend here's the full run down.

Blizzard Announces Diablo III

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: Diablo III In-Depth

Diablo III Webpage Filled With Trailers, Screens, Evil

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: Counting Down

Epic Blizzard Swag Get!

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: How Much Is Your Goody Bag Worth?

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: Day One

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: “There Is No Penguin Level.”

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: The Blizzard Museum Show Diablo 3 Concept Art

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain Level Up

The Man Behind Diablo III Talks Plot, Lore and Battle.Net

The Man Behind Diablo III Talks Plot, Lore and Battle.Net

By: Lesley Smith
Diablo III is so in right now. After the unsurprising announcement about Blizzard Entertainment’s latest game, we pinned down man of the moment, lead designer Jay Wilson, down for a chat about the latest installment in the Diablo franchise.

Kotaku: So, Jay, what can you tell us about the storyline of Diablo III?

Jay Wilson: In the previous two games, Diablo and his two brothers, Mephisto and Baal, were the three Prime Evils of a world called Sanctuary. Where we start off in Diablo III, it’s twenty years later (after Diablo II: Lord of Destruction) and the brothers are gone, they’ve been vanquished. Essentially everyone was kind of geared for Hell to actually invade. At the end of Lord of Destruction, the Worldstone was destroyed, it left a giant crater and everyone was expecting the hordes to come pouring out of it and nothing happened. So, Deckard Cain is one of our main characters from the first two games, he’s spent the last two decades trying to find out where the last two Evils are, what they’re doing and why the invasion didn’t happen. A lot of the rest of the story focuses on Tyrael, the Angel of Justice, and what’s happened to him since that event as he was actually the angel who destroyed the world.

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain Level Up

by Lesley Smith
*DING!*

It's a sound that World of Warcraft fans will be very familiar and it was during the Closing Ceremony Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain finally leveled up, becoming Level 72, 74, 76, 78 and finally Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain.

The Closing Ceremony marked the first time the heavy metal rock band - which is comprised of Blizzard staff and fronted by Blizzard's art director Samwise Didier - has performed in Europe and over the course of their five song set - which included 'Power of the Horde', 'Terran Up The Night!', 'Rogues Do It From Behind', 'I Am Murloc' and a new song inspired by Diablo III entitled 'Raise Some Hell' - the band dinged (complete with a shot of a WoW avatar surrounded in light and amended promotional artwork - until they finally hit eighty, officially becoming Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain.

Each member of Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain has an in-game World of Warcraft avatar and the band performed outside Shattrath City during last year's BlizzCon and the band can now be found killing time between gigs within Horde territory in Silvermoon City with their manager. The band were originally named after the maximum level achievable by a Tauren in Warcraft III and returned with World of Warcraft as Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain, levelling to seventy with the announcement of The Burning Crusade so their name-change was not completely unexpected.

The event was the first part of the Worldwide Invitational Closing Ceremony and the band's performance was greeted to rapturous applause and a heavy Horde bias. Didier also invited the crowds to accompany 'I Am Murloc', their final song, with some audience participation: making what he called the 'Murloc mating call'. He quickly explained: "Do you know why it's called the Murloc mating call? It's because when you hear it, you know you're screwed!"

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: The Blizzard Museum Show Diablo 3 Concept Art

by Lesley Smith
Ever since the Blizzard Museum opened at Blizzard’s HQ earlier this year, it has captured the attention of fans around the world and in a prominent position on the second floor of the WWI is a scaled down version which not only takes attendees on a trip back into the past, it also offers some hints at what is to come, with new artwork for Diablo III (which appeared mysteriously right after the opening ceremony) and the latest concept art for Wrath.

Wallspace is given to the three major IPs along with Blizzards older games that even the most hardened Diablo fan might not of heard of, titles like The Lost Vikings and Battle Chess II. Between each section are large flat screen TVs showing looped movies for World of Warcraft and their other projects. Everything is here, from the novels to the artbooks and prints of the individual coverart for all their games. There’s even a replica of an orc and wolf statue which fans might recognise as identical to one that appeared on eBay a couple of months ago and a scaled down version of the one on Blizzard’s campus.

If you’re in Paris for the WWI, then this is a booth not to be missed and if you’re not, then feast your eyes on the gallery below to get a taste of what you’re missing.

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: “There Is No Penguin Level.”

by Lesley Smith

So the splash screen mystery has been solved, at least on the surface but embedded underneath the screen was a second file – a CSS file containing of all things an evil-looking purple penguin. As of writing, the reasons for this bird’s inclusion. Fans of World of Warcraft instantly linked the bird to Wrath of the Lich King, especially as images of a penguin pet -– believed to either be the WWI pet or one from the Collector’s Edition of the next expansion –- has been circulating on the interweb for nearly a month.

Journalists have been just as perplexed, even asking Jay Wilson about it during the EU press conference. Even he seemed genuinely unaware of why it was there. I made a point of asking both the EU and US PRs about the splash screen only to be answered with cagey denials, ‘I don’t knows’ and the instant classic ‘There is no penguin level’. But why go to so much trouble to place a hidden file if it didn’t hold some significance? Theorists are going nuts and while the official word is still ‘this is Diablo III’s day’, Blizzard could still announce something at tonight’s closing ceremony.

The question of the penguin is certainly something to be asked at this afternoon’s interviews. We’ll be sure to let you know if and when the mystery surrounding this ugly, hunchbacked bird is solved.

By Lesley Smith

So the first day of Blizzard’s Worldwide Invitational is over: Diablo III is official and fans stream out into the streets of Paris to rejoice. Of course the Opening Ceremony wasn’t the end of the event; merely the beginning.

The ceremony itself took place on the main stage which was jam-packed with over 3,500 people and many more standing. Attended by press from all around the world as well as several special guests such as the VPs of Global Finance and Human Resources (yep, we were all humbled too). Hosted by pop star China and stand up comedian and film star Anthony Kavangh, the event saw Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime take to the stage and congratulate the gamers of Europe as well as reminding all those present that this is the first time an invitational has been held outside of Korea. He took us on a trip back in time to last year’s event in Seoul – a movie which includes a classic sound bite in the making from a teenaged Korean fan: “It’s fun because Blizzard made it.” Morhaime also commented on the Activision-Blizzard merger, provoking laughter when he said they’d ‘leveled up’.

by Lesley Smith

If last year’s BlizzCon is anything to go by, it won’t be too long before the goodies (and the bag itself) given to attendees at this year’s WWI start appearing in auction sites. Sad but true, some people will just put the swag straight on eBay in order to make a quick buck or two. But how much should all this swag set this back and is it worth the £55/€70 ticket or the even bigger sum you might end up paying via an auction site?

Fortunately, as Blizzard have a shop selling many of these exclusive goodies, we can tell you.

by Lesley Smith

Blizzard Entertainment President Mike Morhaime formally announced Diablo III during the WWI’s opening ceremony this morning, not that this will come as a surprise to anyone with the Diablo III forums already active on the official Blizzard site and rumours running rampant for nearly a fortnight.

After recapping on the success of the previous Invitational held in Korea, Morhaime premiered a trailer and then demoed a level playing as a Barbarian and a Witch Doctor, showcasing some of the improvements over the original game as well as giving attendees a hint at what they can expect from the final product. This includes a new UI in place of the potion belt and the ability to play the game just by using a mouse. Similarly the health system has been augmented by God of War and Devil May Cry style red globes which replenish not just the health of the character but also those near by.

After the Fire Dancers had left the main stage and the crowds has dispersed, many jubilant, I headed for the jam-packed press conference where journalists got to give Blizzard’s Jay Wilson (Lead Designer on Diablo III) and co-founder Frank Pearce a grilling about Diablo III.

Why content yourself with a blurry screen or a low-quality stream when you can get your Diablo III fix directly from the source? Blizzard has the official website for the game up and ready, already filled with pages of screenshots, a gameplay video, and the cinematic trailer, as well as concept art and one hell of an attractive aesthetic. Some of the links may not work, but we have to learn to crawl before we learn to slay hordes of bloodthirsty demons.

Diablo III Official Website [Blizzard]

Well it's official folks! You can all scream like little girls and then pass out from complete exhaustion as Blizzard officially announces Diablo III at the 2008 Worldwide Invitational. Mike Morhaime told the audience at the opening ceremonies that they had a special announcement to make, the lights dimmed, and a guitar player took the stage, playing the unmistakable opening strains of the Diablo overworld theme. A trailer played, and Jay Wilson, lead designer of the game took the stage...to demo the game.

More to come!

by Lesley Smith

As is expected with Blizzard events, company employees were handing out the much-prized (and instantly eBayable) Goody Bags. The swish mini backpack emblazoned with the WWI logo includes a host of loot, including an in-game pet (which we’ve not yet been able to redeem in Booty Bay), the Beta key, a programme, a figure from the Upper Deck miniature game, a notebook and a mousemat sporting the event’s banner featuring Arthas as well as characters from Diablo and Starcraft II.

We’ll let you know what the pet is as soon as Landro Longshot makes nice and starts talking about the WWI.

We've been inundated with tips today pointing us to an image that, in some people's eyes, proves that Blizzard is on the cusp of announcing Diablo III. They may very well be, but that image is sadly no proof at all. Work that was attributed by some to "hackers" who weaseled their way into the well-secured depths of Blizzard's web site is more than likely just a ruse, just clever Photoshop work designed to toy with your emotions.

The full image — just after the jump — is huge, showing an even longer teasing progression from frosty, barely visible demon head to flaming red hellish visage coupled with an ominous "III." But we certainly don't think we're in for six more days of intolerable teasing, especially since the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational kicks off in Paris just hours from now.

Check back in with us later tonight, as the game announcing festivities kick off at 11 AM Paris Time. That's just eight hours or so from right now.

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: Counting Down

By Lesley Smith

While the rest of Kotaku are puzzling over that ever changing Blizzard splash screen and the recently revealed purple penguin, I’m sitting in a hotel overlooking the Eiffel Tower and stroking my press pass into this weekend’s Worldwide Invitational. Upon arriving this afternoon, a perky Blizzard employee thrust the nice folder you see above into my hands along with said press pass.

While I’d love to report the folder contains the secrets of the universe, all it happened to hold was shuttle information to the event and – of all things – a walking guide to Paris and a map.

Okay ….

However the event itinerary has been released on the official WWI site; it all kicks off tomorrow morning with the opening ceremony and there’s a press conference right after. Hmmm what could that mean? Whether it’s Diablo 3, a release date for Wrath of the Lich King and Starcraft II, a new IP or all of the above, we’ll be bringing you the news as it happens.