Some achievements will carry rewards such as tabards, pets, and other prizes, and Blizzard promises more with each new content update. Players will be able to compare their achievements with others both in-game and via the Armory.

My girlfriend just got her first character to 70 this week, and asked me what she could do now. If she can be patient it looks like Blizzard has an answer forthcoming.

Wrath of the Lich King Achievements [World of Warcraft]

What are you waiting for? Head over there and signup! Considering the number of WoW players located in the United States and Europe, you might want to stop by the gas station for some lottery tickets while your at it, just to experience more favorable odds.

Wrath of the Lich King Beta Opt-In Now Open [World of Warcraft via WorldofWar.net]

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.

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’.

The ceremony concluded in a musical fashion, in keeping with last year’s Korean pop idols. A troupe of Fire Dancers who performed to composer Russell Brower’s latest composition from the soundtrack of Diablo III. With the conclusion of the ceremony, the attendees scattered with the journos heading to a press event with leader designer Jay Wilson and VP/co-founder Frank Pearce.

Because of the top-secret-but-everyone-knows-about-it announcement about Diablo III, the panels weren’t announced until after the ceremony had concluded and suddenly the convention floor was flooded with plans detailing the numerous talks, several of which focus on, yes you guessed it, Diablo. There were also some dev panels focusing on the present and future classes of World of Warcraft and several StarCraft panels.

Interspersed between was the chance to watch ace European guild Nihilum raiding in Sunwell Plateau trying to down Kil’Jaeden or watching a huge selection of pro-gamers battling it out for top spot. Esports is a big part of any invitational so they are running nearly none stop over the two day event and each team of professional gamers was paraded on the main stage as part of the Opening Ceremony.

Split across two floors, there are also numerous booths such as the Blizzard Museum and the famous Darkmoon Faire, complete with life-sized scantily-clad Night Elf, a mail box, meeting stone and a turtle mount. The event sponsors – who include Intel and amBX – also had their own booths but it was the Starcraft II and Wrath of the Lich King areas which seemed to attract attention, with an even longer line than the one for the food vendors, although not quite as long as the one at the main entrance. Unfortunately the Wrath computers were suffering technical hitches meaning they kept freezing, very handy if you’re trying to explore Howling Fjord but what’s an event without a technical hitch or three? Check back tomorrow for hands on preview of both games.

Other fun activities were available such as an Armourer and the chance to get made up as a World of Warcraft character and have a photo taken against a suitably Azerothian background. But for many the biggest photo opportunity was the life-sized Frozen Throne, complete with Arthas’s creepy crown. Very in keeping, despite the lack of Wrath-related announcements.

Check back tomorrow when we’ll be bringing you more coverage from the WWI, including coverage of the epic closing ceremony and WoW and StarCraft Q and A.

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.

Blizzard’s concept of a shop, however, is not something you’d recognise instantly; with one per floor they only stand out thanks to the humongous sign and the enormous, never diminishing queue. Rather than go in an browse, attendees can drool over items for sale which are handily displayed in several glass cabinets, they then fill in an order form, wait in the queue for what must seem like for ever, hand over fistfuls of Monopoly money (sorry, Euros) and depart with their goodies.

A glance at this form reveals very little by way of exclusive goodies, much of the goody bag can be purchased if you so inclined and, aside from a few event-specific items like posters and T shirts, many of the items – like the Trading Card Game – can be purchased from anywhere.

Take the huge mouse mat depicting the official event artwork, that’s on sale for €20, the notebook is €13 for an Alliance or Horde version, rather than the actual exclusive Diablo version found in the bag. The signed Miniature is the only other proper exclusive as the game doesn’t launch until later this year; how much you’d pay depends on how much you like Orcs. The bag itself isn’t on sale and it’s one item which is genuinely worth buying, a sturdy satchel emblazoned with the WWI logo which would probably set you back around €45 if it were to be sold. The TCG starter pack retails in the WWI shop for €15 but the really important item – the one which sends the price skyrocketing – is the Beta key and in-game pet.

A staple of such events the beta key is actively sought by many fans dying to get an early look at the next big game and expansion. Except Blizzard haven’t even announced when and what owners of the card will be able to play. The pet on the other hand is equally as mysterious. Believed to be a penguin by some, the unnamed pet won’t go live until later next week with the introduction of patch 2.4.2 and the lack of confirmation will either enhance the worth or send it plummeting.

While the WWI is not about the freebies given to attendees, it’s clear from the interest in items as well as the number of people on the official forums obsessing over getting their hands on one that the goody bag is on a par with the announcements which come out of the event. Whether it is worth shelling out a small fortune for these ‘exclusive goodies’ remains to be seen.

Hit the jump for comparison pictures and decide for yourself, and get a look at the full secret pic revealed!

The reason I am leaning Protoss mainly lies in the shape of the bit between the eyes, which in my opinion matches the Protoss much better than it does the Death Knight.

Then again, look at the frost emanating from the eyes. Seems to emulated the eyes of the Death Knight, and the glow even matches up.

Does this mean no Diablo III? Well, not exactly. It could very well mean that the splash page image has nothing to do with the new game being announced, lining up instead with the release date for Wrath of the Lich King or StarCraft 2. The more we see the less we seem to know. Fun, eh?

The secret images are indeed the Lost numbers, as I speculated yesterday. Now 8 joins the previously revealed 4, 15, 16, and 23, and 42.jpg is in there as well, though not commented out in the CSS file. Finally, the secret picture revealed: It's a purple penguin. Okay then. Great. I have no earthly clue. I'm just going to type Lost Vikings here because I like seeing it.

All of this, and a brand new snowflake rune for us to wonder over. Join us tomorrow when this whole damn thing actually makes some sort of sense.

Is it Diablo III? A new franchise? Is WoW getting Coors' Cold Activated Bottle technology?

Fan site World of War is here to scatter the remains of your hopes around a bit more, pointing to a portion of the teaser image that looks a hell of a lot like a rune on Frostmourne, previously feature in Wrath of the Lich King teasers. Look, we're not saying they're right. We're just saying that you might want to put those Diablo III fantasies to bed for now, just to be on the safe side.

We'll be frantically F5ing, waiting for the new teaser pic to pop up in the meantime.

Blizzard Image Solved [World of War]

In all seriousness, congratulations to SK Gaming for their accomplishment, which unfortunately only goes to punctuate the awkward balance of story and gameplay in MMOspace. Were this a novel or a movie, this would be considered the greatest of victories. Feasts would be held, Ewoks would sing nub-nub all night long, etc,.

In MMOspace, we just get in queue and kill him again, until we decide to kill somebody else. Woot.

Kil'Jaeden DOWN World First [SK Gaming via Eurogamer]

Wrath of the Lich King is coming in the second half of 2008, says Vivendi's quarterly report. That's as close as we're going to get to a release date for now. Blizzard hasn't officially put a date on the expansion and it's totally realistic it could delayed, as is their wont, but we'll hold tight for a pre-December 31 release, fingers crossed.

Vivendi: Very Good First Quarter - 2008 Outlook Confirmed (PDF) [Vivendi]

Every player with a character over level 55 will be able to create one Death Knight per realm. The new character will start at level 55 with a full compliment of abilities at their disposal, the reasoning here being that anyone who has leveled that far will be able to get the hang of the new abilities quickly. Anyone who has ever played with a recently eBayed character can tell you this is a complete falsehood, but it'll be amusing to watch at least.

Speaking of amusing, Death Knights will also gain the ability to raise fallen enemies and comrades as ghouls to continue the fight. If you raise an ally in this fashion they will get a choice of whether or not to take control of their violated corpse. Good times!

Death Knights will also be the first character class that harnesses the power of disease, so expect to see +disease items going for a premium in the auction house come the expansion's release.

Other new information involves the raids present in WofLK, which instead of forcing players into 10-man or 25-man groups will come in two varieties each. That means that any raid dungeon in the expansion will have a 10-man and a 25-man option, with the drops for those gathering a bigger group being relatively more powerful.

This feature alone is worth the price of admission for me (like I wouldn't have bought the expansion anyway). As a more casual player (my current guild has 2 people in it), I regret that I've never gotten a chance to see some of the bigger raid instances from past updates. Scaling the raids is an excellent way to let folks experience all the expansion has to offer while still rewarding the big raiding guilds for performing the enviable feat of keeping 25 people from tearing each other's throats out every five minutes.

Incidentally, not one raid boss has been created yet. I'm sure they'll get around to that eventually.

Another fun fact, Northrend will have it's own flying mounts, as well as allowing players to use their Burning Crusade flying mounts in the new zones, while the old world still remains sadly flying mount free due to design constrictions. Maybe they'll come up with some suitable lore reason for this. Whirring sky razors infesting the two main continents perhaps? The Blizzard writers are nothing if not resourceful.

There really is a ton of information out there from several different source, including GameSpy and Curse.com, so I'm extremely grateful to the folks at MMO Champion for rounding up all the pertinent information in one place. Hit the link below and prepare to spend the rest of your Friday reading about Wrath of the Lich King.

Wrath of the Lich King Preview [MMO Champion - Thanks Wingsoverglory!]

New WotLK screenshots leaked [Updated] [WoW Insider, via Game|Life]

"We look forward to bringing the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational to Europe for the first time and sharing our latest news with players there," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.

2008 Blizzard Entertainment® Worldwide Invitational Announced

Blizzard Entertainment tournament and gaming event to take place in Europe over 28-29 June

MARLOW, UK. - February 11, 2008 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans to hold its fourth Worldwide Invitational in Paris, France on the 28th and 29th of June. The 2008 Blizzard Entertainment® Worldwide Invitational will bring the company and gamers together in a convention atmosphere, celebrating the communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft®, Diablo® and StarCraft® series as well as showcasing the skills of top eSports gamers from around the world. The first Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational to be held in Europe, the event will take place at Hall 5 of the Porte de Versailles Exposition Center in Paris.

"We look forward to bringing the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational to Europe for the first time and sharing our latest news with players there," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "In addition to the great tournament gaming that will be taking place at the event, we're planning an entertaining show for all attendees."

Open to gamers of ages 16 and up, or younger if accompanied by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult, the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational will feature exciting StarCraft, Warcraft III and World of Warcraft® invitational tournaments, with a variety of other activities over the two-day event, including:

* Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
* Artist and developer signings
* Hands-on play with World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King™ and StarCraft II
* Merchandise and other products based on the Blizzard Entertainment game universes
* A silent auction
* Musical performances
* And more exciting activities to be announced

Tickets for the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational are limited and will go on sale in the next few weeks at the price of 70€/£55 per ticket. Further information on activities, tournaments and ticket booking will be provided on the official 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational website at http://eu.blizzard.com/wwi08 as the event draws closer.

Here's their full announcement:

Blizzard is spear-heading its approach to Community Fansites and fans in 2008. It's going full-throttle with a internal Developer video podcast which will bring you interviews with Starcraft 2 and Wrath of the Lich King developers, fansite community interaction with developers, as well as fansite Q&A on video.

The first BlizzCast episode will air online through Blizzard's website the first week of January. Fans will be able to submit questions to the developers through the fansites, who will forward the feedback to community managers: Karune and Nethaera. Fans may win some juicy Swag at the end of each BlizzCast episode. Again, this ongoing video podcast series is produced by Blizzard.

This is an amazing effort that will bring the developers and the community closer. The best of it all is that each BlizzCast (video podcast) transcript will be fully localized to many supported languages reaching hundreds of thousands of Blizzard fans across the globe. This is basically a monthly BlizzCon presentation broadcasted directly to you via hot-download. The audience of BlizzCast Episode 1 and upcoming episodes will be monitored. These is an experimental in-house project. The more fan audience supporting these BlizzCast episodes, the better it will get, as more resources will be put to produce future episodes with full coverage of the development cycles of Starcraft 2, future World of Warcraft expansions and content patches, as well as the two unannounced games. Spread the word across forums online, and share the hype to encourage production of BlizzCast episodes for years to come. Tell all your friends online, at work or school to download episode one the first week of January.

BlizzCast Episode 1

* Interview with Sam Didier (Art Director SCII): Concepting Art for the StarCraft and Warcraft Franchises
* Interview with Jeff Kaplan (Lead Designer WoW): Highlights of Sunwell Plateau and Patch 2.4

(At the end)Sweepstakes/Giveaway: Lots of SWAG :)

BlizzCast Episode 1 on First Week of January [blizzard]

Death Knight Interview [World of Warcraft]

You'll find me at the StarCraft II area on Wednesday, feverishly working on Part II of my long delayed hands-on StarCraft II impressions.

Gamestop writes, with all emphasis theirs:

Official price and release date have NOT been announced by Blizzard. In this case, the price and release date were determined by the GameStop e-commerce staff, (comprised of overpowered warlocks), using a combination of 6 and 20-sided die.

Important: If the price decreases between the time you place your order and the release date, you will receive the lower price. Woot! If the price increases you will be given the option to either pay the higher price or cancel your order. However, if the price increases by more than $1,000, many of us here at the corporate office plan to retire and purchase a small Caribbean island. You are welcome to visit us at any time. Please bring pizza, chocolate and cold beverages.

Who knew that Jay Mohr was also writing nerdy World of Warcraft themed gags for Gamestop?

While we think it's fairly safe that interested MMO gamers will be able to secure one of the 10 million copies printed for the expansion's day of release and that you'll have plenty of time to put your order in, it might behoove some to ensure their purchases with at least one retailer of your choosing.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack [Gamestop]

You'll recognize many of them from the recently released preview trailer shown today, but considering you'll spend a considerable chunk of your life in this virtual land next year, a few extra minutes of gazing won't be that noticeable on your death bed.

Here it is, in all of its glory the first official trailer for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion pack Wrath of the Lich King.

Warth of the Lich King [Blizzard]

The Games For Windows folks have posted some more details up about the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King that was verified earlier today during BlizzCon 2007.

The September issue of Games for Windows will have a blow-out on World of Warcraft expansion pack, but here are some interesting details:

The Story
Having cleaned up Outland (or at least having set things in decent enough order for now), the Alliance and Horde turn their heads northward to the continent of Northrend, where a terrible threat has gone unchecked for far too long: that of Lich King and his undead army, the Scourge. On the day Wrath of the Lich King launches, players will be able to set sail from various points in old Azeroth and join the fight against Arthas Menethil.

New Continent: Northrend
Having learned a valuable lesson about funneling 8.5 million players into once single starting zone with The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King lets players pick a zone on either side of the continent to start from: Borean Tundra in the west or Howling Fjord in the east. Each zone has level-equivalent quests (appropriate for approximately level 68 through 72) and one Hellfire Peninsula-style instance hub with multiple dungeon wings for level 70 characters, level 80 characters, and raiders. While Northrend immediately calls to mind ice and snow, Blizzard doesn't want to make those themes dominate Northrend completely-expect as much variety as ever, only not quite as weird and wild as Outland.

Northrend's indigenous inhabitants include a Viking-like race called the Vrykul: 15-foot-tall humanoids with a strong Norse influence. Most Vrykul you encounter will be your enemies, as they've been in Northrend so long that the Lich King holds a lot of sway over them. Another friendly race — the walrus-like Tuskarr — will serve as a cute little counterpoint to the lumbering undead-loving oafs.

New Zone Type: Outdoor PVP
One of Northrend's 10 new zones (final count still tentative) is an outdoor PVP zone that introduces the concept of siege weapons (Meat Wagons, Steam Tanks, etc.) and destructible buildings. Blizzard describes the outdoor zone as basically a "non-instanced Battleground" where completing objectives earns world-wide bonuses for your side (Think Spirit Shard buff in Auchindoun instances). The PVP zone is entirely avoidable (if you're the carebear type), and seige weapons won't be useable outside their designated PVP area.

New Hero Class: Death Knight
World of WarCraft's first Hero Class is a plate-wearing tank/DPS hybrid that works a little something like this: When players hit level 80, they'll be able to embark on a quest (similar in difficulty to the Warlock's epic mount quest, back before the level cap was raised to 70) that unlocks the ability to create a Death Knight character. The Death Knight starts at a high level (somewhere around 60 or 70, though Blizzard isn't certain yet), so you won't have to grind your way back up all over again. It's intended as an alternative, advanced class for end-game use only.

Rather than using rage, energy, or mana, Death Knights have a special "rune sword" displayed beneath their health bar, onto which the player can etch six different runes (choose between Frost, Blood, and Unholy). Different abilities require different mixes of runes, and using abilities consumes the requisite runes until a cooldown timer causes them to be available again. Stuff like talents, spells, and other specifics are still being finalized. So are key questions like what races can be a Death Knight (start a Gnome petition now) and whether unlocking the Hero Class on one server means you can create a Death Knight on any server.

New Profession: Inscription
Wrath of the Lich King will introduce a new profession called Inscription that will let players customize individual spells and abilities in their spell book — to change the cooldown timer on a Fireball, for example, or alter the crit rate of a healing spell.

There's lots more in the upcoming September issue of Games for Windows: The Official Magazine, on sale in the next couple weeks, including candid insight from the developers, details on some of the new dungeons not shown at BlizzCon, and word that The Burning Crusade ain't over yet...there's more BC content coming beyond Zul'Aman.

Looks like the the rumors are true, the next World of Warcraft expansion will indeed by Wrath of the Lich King. The expansion was confirmed in the BlizzCon Souvenir Show Guide packed into those fancy goodie bags.

The picture, taken by Highamage, shows the brief article about the new expansion which will be detailed during the show.

Some of the highlights of the article include:

*Introduction of the Death Knight as a playable dark necromatic character class.
*New zones, quests, items and monsters packed into the Northrend, an icy continent that is home to the Lich King.
*Raised level cap to 80
*New battelgrounds featuring siege engines and destructable buidlings.
*More character customization, including hair, dances and skin color.

Wrath of the Lich King [Blizzard Forums]

1. Death Knight Hero Class (starting at higher level, damage-dealing tank)
2. Level 80 character cap
3. Siege weapons and destructible buildings in PVP
4. "hundreds of new recipes and thousands of new items"

But I'm not a WoW freak, so hit the jump for the entire FAQ and some bombshells that I may have missed.

FAQ for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

What are the features of the new expansion?

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

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

How will the death knight class fit into the game?

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

Will the death knight have any abilities from previously released Warcraft games?

The way we portrayed death knights in past Warcraft games is certainly a source of inspiration, but we are still determining how best to capture that feel within the mechanics of World of Warcraft, and haven't made any final determinations on specific abilities.

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

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

What races will be allowed to play death knights?

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

Will there be additional hero classes in the future?

Yes, we do intend to add more hero classes in the future, but right now our focus is on the current expansion.

What is the story background of the expansion?

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

Will players actually get to encounter Arthas himself?

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

Can you discuss some of the new talents and abilities that will be available from level 70 to level 80?

As with character advancement up to level 70, players will gain access to an array of potent and exciting new abilities and talents as they make their way from level 70 to level 80. However, it's still too early to get into specifics on these.

How long will it take to advance from level 70 to level 80?

We were pleased with the pacing from level 60 to level 70 in The Burning Crusade, and we intend to take a similar approach to pacing character advancement in Wrath of the Lich King. However, the specific amount of time that it will take players to reach level 80 will vary widely based on play style.

What can you reveal about Northrend?

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

What's the level requirement to enter Northrend?

Players of any level who have purchased the expansion can visit Northrend. However, all of the content is designed for players level 68 and up.

How many new dungeons will be in the expansion?

The first dungeon players will enter is Utgarde Keep, which is intended for five players around level 70. Utgarde is inhabited by the Vrykul, a Viking-like race bent on proving their strength to the Lich King, who will raise the most worthy of their warriors to serve him beyond the grave. We intend to provide a variety of dungeons comparable to that in The Burning Crusade and will be revealing more details about some of these in the months ahead.

Do you plan to continue with the 25-player model for raids?

Yes, we've been pleased with the tactics, intensity, and variety of the 25-player raid model, and plan to continue with it.

In what ways will players be able to further customize their characters in the expansion?

In addition to the numerous new character-customization options that will be available with all of the new weapons and armor added by the expansion, we'll be offering some fun ways to alter both existing and new characters with regard to dances and hairstyles, but we're not ready to go into more detail just yet.

What can you reveal about the new profession coming with the expansion?

Inscription allows the player to permanently enhance their spells and abilities and to create mysterious items of power to use, trade, and sell.

What can players expect with regard to player-vs.-player combat in the expansion?

Players will be able to take control of siege weapons and use them to destroy opposing buildings, adding a new layer of complexity to PvP battles. Naturally, we'll be providing some fun places to put these new tools to good use, and we'll be revealing more information about them in the months ahead, in addition to the new battleground content being added.

Can you give a sneak peek at the new recipes and items in the expansion?

There will be hundreds of new recipes and thousands of new items available, but we're not ready to discuss specific examples just yet.

How many zones will be in the expansion?

Northrend will be roughly equivalent to Outland in terms of size and scope.

Will there be any new cinematic scenes?

Yes, our cinematics department is hard at work preparing a new intro movie for the expansion.

Release/Availability

Do you need to own the expansion to play with friends who have it?

There will be many aspects of the expansion that will be available to all players. However, in order to experience certain content, such as Northrend, or be able to play as a death knight, players must purchase the expansion.

Will there be an open beta test of the expansion?

We have not yet determined whether the expansion will require an open beta test. If we do decide to conduct a beta test, details will be posted on the official World of Warcraft website once we've gotten further along in the development process.

When will the expansion be released? How much will it cost?

We have not yet announced a release date for the expansion set. However, we expect to announce further details, including the release date and price, on our community website in the months ahead. Please stay tuned to [link] for more information.

Will there be a collector's edition?

We have not yet made any determination about whether there will be a collector's edition of Wrath of the Lich King. We'll be announcing details such as this closer to release.

Will a Mac version be available simultaneously with the PC version?

Yes. As with all of our games, Wrath of the Lich King will be compatible with and optimized for both the Windows and Macintosh platforms.

What are the system requirements?

We'll continue to ensure that the game is playable on a wide range of hardware. However, we have not made a final determination on the system requirements as yet.

Will the expansion be released globally at the same time?

We recognize that players throughout the world will be eager to experience all of the new content being added with Wrath of the Lich King, and we will make every effort to release the expansion simultaneously worldwide. However, there's always the possibility that unforeseen circumstances could delay the launch in any given region. We'll share the launch timing with players in each region as soon as the plans have been finalized.

What is the ESRB rating for the expansion?

The expansion has not yet been rated by the ESRB. However, we anticipate that it will receive the same rating that the original World of Warcraft received — "Teen."

It's tough to see this as WoW fanboy rantings, since writing it would have required at least 20 minutes not playing the MMO.

Exklusiv: Antworten zum neuen Addon [wowszene]

The expansion has been rumored to explore the frozen continent of Northrend for some time, with leaked documents lending more weight to that speculation appearing earlier this week.

Blizzard staffers revealed late last year that the company planned to ship yearly expansions following the release of The Burning Crusade, so it's just about due for another dip into players' wallets.

Just remember to call your mothers before you purchase this one, kids. She'll miss you.

Titelsuche in der USK-Prüfdatenbank [USK via MMOGamer]