You will learn to hate New Hearthglen in Northrend once you play World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. It is so full of Scarlet Onslaught mobs, and so many quests pitting you against them. The good side of it is the good XP (experience points) at around 20,700 XP per quest and the good chunk of new lore you can grab from the pieces of the story in each quest. The one that does give away what is going on is from the quest A FALL FROM GRACE and the quest THE TRUTH WILL OUT. This quest sends you to infiltrate the house next to the Abbey to get the Diary of High General Abbendis from her bedroom. The diary has a whipping 24 pages of lore telling the experiences of Abbendis since they departed the Plaguelands in route to Northrend. And trust me, you will be shocked how this epic Scarlet Crusade storyline wraps up. It has been added to our new WotLK Story Arcs section.
Blizzard Entertainment added the King of Stormwind Varian Wrynn, Broll Bearmantle and Valeera Sanguinar to World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King during the second patch of closed beta. They can be found at the Stormwind Harbor.
Unprecedented event coverage also available exclusively on DIRECTV
IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that tickets for its third BlizzCon™ gaming convention will go on sale August 11 and that live coverage of the event will be available as an exclusive DIRECTV pay per view event. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment®’s Warcraft®, Diablo®, and StarCraft® game universes. The event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11.
“Meeting and interacting with our players at BlizzCon is always a great experience for us,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also pleased to be working with DIRECTV this year to bring the show, for the first time, to those players who are unable to attend.”
In addition to serving as a gathering place for the different Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, BlizzCon will offer an array of activities, including discussion panels, hands-on playtime with upcoming games, tournaments, contests, and more. Tickets to the convention will be priced at $100 USD each, and will be available for purchase directly from the official BlizzCon website at www.blizzcon.com.
The pay per view event will deliver a minimum of eight hours of live HD coverage from the show floor on each day of the convention, including exclusive interviews, demos, and more. Beginning in August, DIRECTV will run a promotion offering the BlizzCon pay per view event free to new DIRECTV subscribers. Pricing for existing DIRECTV customers and programming details will be available in the coming weeks from Blizzard Entertainment and DIRECTV.
“BlizzCon is one of the most highly anticipated gaming conventions of the year, and we are excited to partner with Blizzard Entertainment to deliver coverage of the show to gamers nationwide,” said Steven Roberts, senior vice president, new media and business development, DIRECTV. “With our BlizzCon pay per view package, members of Blizzard’s gaming communities who are not attending the event can now experience it in crystal-clear HD.”
As the event draws closer, further details will be announced at www.blizzcon.com.
Well, after meeting Queen Alexstrasza at the top of the Wyrmrest Temple, I talked to Chromie (Ambassador of the Bronze Dragonflight). Chromie gave me an Hourglass of Eternity to place it at the Bronze Dragonshrine. A time storm is blocking immortals from entering it, so we mere mortals are given the task to take care of business.
The Hourglass of Eternity must be defended from the Infinite Dragonflight who spawn to stop you. According to Chromie the purpose of the Hourglass of Eternity would be to reveal to us who the leader of the Infinite Dragonflight is. After fighting a few dragonkin, a Drakonid and a Infinite Drake, the Hourglass despawned to reveal the leader of the Infinite Dragonflight ... or did it inadvertently showed us a call for help?
I was shocked to say the least. I was expecting two other possible suspects: Arthas or Deathwing. However, the scrying only revealed an image of Nozdormu. Either he is corrupted or he simply uses the opportunity of your use of the Hourglass of Eternity to send a wordless message to Chromie through you. Chromie is intrigued that the Hourglass did not reveal the leader of the Infinite Dragonflight, but after thinking about it she resolves that at least they know Nozdormu is alive. Could it mean we will eventually travel into the future to rescue Nozdormu? Hmm ...
During the video, I was nervous thinking I wouldn't be able to solo the Infinite Dragonflight. Fortunately, I had help from ... ummm ... my future-self. How cool is that? Watch the video.
Queen Alexstrasza of the Red Dragonflight and her consort Krasus (Korialstrasz) are in Northrend. Yay! Malygos has recruited mages of all races, or more like forced them to accept, to join his magic crusade. Those who answer the call will be spared from the magic purge. Malygos sent these mages to syphon magic from a highborne ruins on the south coast of Dragonblight augmenting the magic through some ley lines and redirecting it into the Azure Dragonshrine. By doing this, Malygos is colllecting massive amounts of magic for a direct assault of the blue dragonflight against all the Dragon Aspects and their dragonflights at the Wyrmrest Temple.
Queen Alexstrasza asks you to help her commander by mounting a red drake to fight at the frontline of this war. You are asked to kill a few blue dragons and blue drakes. Then to destabilize the ley line energies at the Azure Dragonshrine. This will be a daily quest. The UI for the red drake and its flying animations are bugged, but it is in development. The experience of flying a red drake, being able to control it and shoot fireballs, renew, immolate and sprint was exciting. Dragons and drakes were falling left and right. The sky is kinda crowded with all those blue drakes and dragons however. Must be careful and I recommend flying as low near the ground as possible. As you will see in the video I aggroed a lot of them and I was forced to flee at warp ten with the sprint-like ability.
Meeting Queen Alexstrasza and Krasus was priceless. It is a long quest-chain if you want to get to see them. Horde players have to go to Agmar's Hammer in Dragonblight to talk to the Image of the Archmage Aethas Sunreaver (Kirin Tor) at Agmar's chamber. He starts the quest chain by sending you off to investigate Moonrest Gardens and to bring back a letter from one of the Mage Hunter corpses. The first quest is named Rifle the Bodies. I assume the Alliance version of this quest chain starts with Archmage Modera at Star's Rest (south of Agmar's Hammer). The quest chain ends with meeting Alexstrasza at the top of the Wyrmrest Temple. You are asked to talk to Tariolstrasz who sends you on top of a drake to fly you up there.
To my surprise there are some familiar faces alongside Alexstrasza. Three ambassadors of the other dragonflights: Chromie (Bronze), Lord Itharius (Green) and Nalice (Black). Itharius is from the Eranikus quest. He was formerly located at the Itharius cave southwest of Swamp of Sorrows. Chromie is from the Darrowshire quests, she is near Uther's tomb in Western Plaguelands. Nalice is the only one that doesn't ring a bell, besides Nalice sounding a lot like Malice. Each of these ambassadors give you a quest to help their own dragonflights. The one that made my eyebrow rise in expectation was from Chromie. Apparently this quest will reveal who the leader of the Infinite Dragonflight is. More later. Check out the Alexstrasza screenshots, quests, and video (at the bottom). As usual, tell your friends, forum buddies and guild members to visit Blizzplanet for Wrath of the Lich King beta updates. At some point, Blizzplanet will be giving away WotLK Beta Keys via contest.
Upper Deck Announces the 2008 World of Warcraft® Trading Card Game World Championships to be held in Paris, France 18 – 19 October, 2008. Over €200,000 in Cash and Prizes at Stake!
North Las Vegas, NV (28 July, 2008) – Bringing one of the biggest and most popular trading card game (TCG) championship events to Europe, Upper Deck (UD) announced today plans to host the 2008 World of Warcraft® TCG World Championship Tournament at the Equinoxe in Paris, 18 – 19 October, 2008. The 2008 World of Warcraft TCG World Championship Tournament features amazing prizes for the top finishers, plus Loot™ cards and other offerings for every participant. For more information, visit WoWTCG.com/Worlds.
“The World of Warcraft TCG player base is strong and well-established across the globe, so it only seems fitting to bring this year’s World Championship event to Europe ,” said Scott Gaeta, Director of Marketing and Organized Play for Upper Deck.
Players can look forward to the same exciting events and atmosphere they have come to expect from World of Warcraft TCG events. In addition to the main World Championship competition, throughout the weekend players of all levels can participate in the highly popular World of Warcraft TCG Darkmoon Faire, which features over 20 different online and tabletop tournaments and activities for anyone interested in Blizzard Entertainment®’s massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) or the TCG.
“We are very pleased to host the 2008 World of Warcraft TCG World Championship Tournament in such a beautiful city as Paris ,” said Carl Crook, Organized Play Manager for Upper Deck Entertainment Europe. “As the World of Warcraft TCG continues to grow in popularity and expand its player base worldwide, it only seems natural to celebrate the game in Europe .”
Every participant in the 2008 World of Warcraft TCG World Championship Tournament will receive a super common Loot™ card from the upcoming TCG expansion Drums of War, an exclusive commemorative play mat, and an Extended Art promo card.
The grand-prize winner of the 2008 World of Warcraft TCG World Championship Tournament will receive €30,000 in cash, a Dell laptop computer, plus three all-expense-paid trips for two people to any World of Warcraft TCG events anywhere in the world. In addition, the character that the World Champion plays in Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft MMORPG will be immortalized on an upcoming World of Warcraft TCG hero or ally card. Once the card is complete, the original art for the card will be awarded to the World Champion. The grand-prize winner will also receive a Bear Mount Loot™ card and an invitation to the World of Warcraft TCG World Championship Tournament in 2009.
The second-place finisher will be rewarded with an iPod touch, a PlayStation 3, a €15,000 cash prize and two trips to any World of Warcraft TCG event for two people, plus a Bear Mount Loot™ card. Third- and fourth-place finishers will each receive a €7,500 cash prize, an iPod touch, a PlayStation 3 and one trip for two people to any World of Warcraft TCG event.
For more information on prizes for the 2008 World of Warcraft TCG World Championship Tournament, visit WoWTCG.com/Worlds.
To qualify for the 2008 World of Warcraft TCG World Championship Tournament, players compete in numerous tournaments held around the globe, including regional tournaments and Darkmoon Faire Championship Tournaments. Winners of these contests represent their respective countries at the World Championship Tournament event. Players can also qualify for national and continental championship tournaments with “honor ranking points” or “rating points” earned by playing in UD-sanctioned tournaments.
For invitation requirements, deadlines and other information on the 2008 World of Warcraft TCG World Championship Tournament or additional UD Organized Play programs, visit WoWTCG.com.
Based on Blizzard Entertainment’s hit MMORPG, the TCG allows players to experience the action and adventure of World of Warcraft in a new format. Released in October 2006, the TCG’s premiere set quickly became the hottest and most sought-after trading card game in the industry, prompting UD to produce additional quantities to support the overwhelming demand.
World of Warcraft is the most popular MMORPG in the world, with more than 10 million subscribers playing the game in North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Europe, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. In World of Warcraft, players assume the roles of legendary heroes and interact with thousands of other players online as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast realm. Whether journeying together or fighting against one another in epic battles, players form friendships, forge alliances, and compete against enemies for power and glory.
Dragonblight is a heck of a ride with many interesting sights and creatures. Here is where dragons come at the end of their life to die. It is a dragon cemetery. Ner'Zhul the Lich King had risen Frostwyrms from the skeletons of dragons in Dragonblight. Arthas the Lich King continues doing so, but now a notch higher. The Cult of the Damned and the Scourge are now attacking the red and black Dragon Shrines for malevolent purposes. The Alliance has a team defending a bit too late the Ruby Dragonshrine.
The Wyrmrest Temple is a beautiful palace that can be seen from almost anywhere in Dragonblight located at the center of the map.
New Hearthglen is the residence of High General Abbendis now calling her remaining Scarlet Crusade followers as The Onslaught.
The Emerald Dragonshrine is highlighted by the presence of Ysera the Dreamer at its center.
Some of the shrines have these huge floating discs that serve as platform for the Cult of the Damned. They are casting spell rituals on the huge dragon skeletons far below from the sky. You can see colorful magical streams flowing from these disc platforms.
I was shocked to have found the Maw of Neltharion, a cave to the northwest. The Cult of the Damned are there and not as friends it seems. Three of them cast spells on a death black drake that seems to have been killed by the Cult of the Damned and the Scourge.
A huge Titan or Guardian left behind roams the road from north to south of the Wyrmrest Temple. He is set to neutral. But can be attacked.
A new race can be found on the southwest that resemble a wolverine-humanoid. Magnataurs have a strong presence across Dragonblight. You can see the Icecrown Fortress' backyard on the north next to the Fordragon Hold, with a massive battle between the Scourge and the Alliance/Horde forces on each side.
Dragonblight is so massive I took 366 images and I had to split the video into three parts.
I have been mostly exploring all open regions of Northrend in the past two days and have loads of screenshots to show you in upcoming days, along with videos. Keep checking Blizzplanet for new updates. This news article focus mostly on those famous NPCs, from a lore standpoint, that have shown up in Northrend thus far. I might be missing a few, since my character is Horde, but don't worry.
High General Abbendis was co-founder of the Scarlet Crusade shortly after Prince Arthas disbanded the Order of the Silver Hand and after the death of Uther the Lightbringer. Abbendis used to be at Tyr's Hand, but has continued her agenda against the Scourge straight at the heart of the illness by raising a new stand against Arthas the Lich King at the southeast area of Dragonflight in New Hearthglen. The Scarlet Crusade zealots under her command are now known as Onslaught. (image)
Shade of Arugal is famous since the early lvl 20 runs through Shadowfang Keep in Silverpine Forest. Shade of Arugal may be found in Northrend on the Bloodmoon Isle at the eastern shore of Grizzly Hills. You may find him at the top of the Shadowfang Tower. The isle is full of cultists and Worgen. These mysterious cultists wear shamanistic clothing, clawed-gauntlets, and a wolf-mask. When the Worgen die, their corpses revert back to a Cultist. (image)
Orsonn is the son of Ursoc -- the huge twin bear that fought alongside other ancients during the War of the Ancients. The cave southwest of Grizzlemaw in Grizzly Hills (View map) is known as the Rage Fang Shrine. (image)
Garrosh Hellscream is the son of Grom Hellscream. He was formerly at Garadar in Nagrand. He is now taking the war to the Lich King assisting Thrall's Warsong Offensive team in Northrend. You can find Garrosh at the Warsong Hold in the Borean Tundra. (image)
High Overlord Saurfang is famous for being the brother of Broxigar who died as a hero fighting the Burning Legion and striking Sargeras with an enchanted Axe given to him by Cenarius. You can read about Broxigar in Warcraft: War of the Ancients Trilogy if you haven't read the books. Saurfang is well known for other matters, and used in in-game jokes about being uber. (image)
Kel'Thuzad is known for betraying the Kirin Tor of Dalaran by serving the Lich King as a necromancer, and later as a lich risen by King Arthas at the Sunwell. Kel'Thuzad was last seen in the Naxxramas dungeon, but he is not quiet dead yet. There is a quest south of the Garrosh's Landing area southwest of the Borean Tundra that gives you a Siege weapon (catapult) to fight legions of Ghouls, abominations and skeletons that Kel'Thuzad summons to crush you. You can find Kel'Thuzad southwest of Warsong Hold. Be very careful, he continuously summons new minions, and it is hard to ride through without getting dismounted and pwned. (image)
Deathwing's Lair has been a mystery sought by lore scholars. Well, this is it finally. While exploring the Dragonblight, I found Maw of Neltharion -- a cave with the well-known lava pits. This could be just one of his many lairs. The Cult of the Damned is attacking the black flight in this cave. You can see a black drake corpse outside of the cave with three Cult of the Damned NPCs casting on it for a ritual. Inside the cave are a lot of NPCs. At the end of the cave is Rothin the Decaying (Cult of the Damned) he is either casting on a giant skeleton or subduying a black dragon that can be barely seen submerged inside the lava. It is named Magmawyrm. You can find the Maw of Neltharion in the western area of the Dragonblight (straight south of Fordragon Hold). (image)
Ysera the Dreamer was a nice touch and one find that made me smile. I wasn't expecting to find her in Northrend and my eyes popped wide-open. She can be found in the Emerald Dragonshrine at the very south-center of the Dragonblight map. That green patch of land west of the New Hearthglen. (image)
Griswold is not a famous Warcraft character, but for those who played Diablo 1 (Read More about Griswold the Blacksmith), there is an easter egg in Dalaran. An NPC is named Griswold Hunderland (Plate Armor Merchant). (image)
Father Inigo Montoy is back in Northrend, but not as we left him in Light's Hope (Eastern Plaguelands). He gave you the quest [70] The Fall of Kel'Thuzad to bring Kel'Thuzad's Phylactery from Naxxramas (above Stratholme). Now MrDaedalus reports he did never give the phylactery to the Argent Dawn. Rumors from the Deathknight class quests say Inigo gave the phylactery to the Lich King. Father Inigo Montoy is now a new lich named Tel'zan the Duskbringer. This may explain how Kel'Thuzad is back in Borean Tundra. Thanks, MrDaedalus.
Muradin is shown in one of the Deathknight class quests where you see a live replay of how Prince Arthas and Muradin find Frostmourne. Muradin is struck in the head by a flying debris of the ice encasing Frostmourne. After Prince Arthas left the place, you see Muradin stand up all confused and dizzy saying: "Wh-who am I?" -- making it clear that Muradin is alive and amnesic somewhere in the world. Thanks, MrDaedalus.
Archmage Modera is one of the archmages of the Kirin Tor only shown in the pocket books. She makes the jump to in-game NPCs roster from the Warcraft pocket books lore. She has been in Warcraft: Day of the Dragon and World of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal. You can find her at Star's Rest in Dragonblight as an Image projection and most likely at the Dalaran Palace which at the moment of this article is unaccessible in the current closed beta build. Dalaran can be accessed, but not the main palace where the Kirin Tor and Rhonin are supposed to be at. (image)
Admiral Barean Westwind is one of the statues at the Scarlet Monastery Armory by Herod (The Scarlet Champion). The statue's sign says Grand Admiral of the Scarlet Fleet. Citizen of Kul'Tiras. Lost off the Frozen Coast of Northrend. Well, Admiral Barean Westwind is alive and kicking serving High General Abbendis at New Hearthglen in the Dragonblight. Thanks, Handclaw.
Rhonin and the main chamber of Dalaran haven't been added in the current beta build. Access to the palace is blocked by a wall where the doorway should be.
Many Wrath of the Lich King beta players have been pondering how to get into Dalaran. This article will offer a tour for both: Beta testers and non-beta testers. The first thing you must know is that Dalaran is in the southern area of the Storm Peaks. How do I get there? -- you ask. Through Dragonblight. The fastest way to get there is the Crystal Vice which is at the north edge of Dragonflight (center of the map). Once you have seen the map at that link, you take that path and it will take you into Storm Peaks.
If you are in Zul'Drak, the best way to get to Dalaran would be taking the road north of Ebon Watch which leads into the Crystalsong Forest. You will find your way into Storm Peaks faster from Zul'Drak.
The normal Storm Peaks map hasn't been added yet by Blizzard on the current beta build. However, it doesn't take a telepath to get the facts. Once in Storm Peaks look above your head. You will see a huge city on a floating rock. Walk toward it and follow the river. Right beneath Dalaran you will find a metalic blue triangle hovering above the ground. Click it. That is the Dalaran teleport crystal as shown in the image below.
The NPC you meet right away will offer you a quest. Free XP so take it. She will ask you to teleport down and up again like a good Engineer Scotty. There are two things you must know about the way Dalaran was designed. The first one is that you can either walk in by teleporting from beneath using the teleport, or you can grab the flightpath. It is right east of the teleportation room. You will see a building with two inner spiral-stairs. Remember: east of the mini-map. I am positioned at the teleportation room here.
The second thing to know is that Dalaran is split in two faction areas the way Shattrath City is for the Scryers and Aldor. This time around it is split between Alliance and Horde factions: The Silver Covenant Blood Mages will only allow Alliance players through. If you are Horde, the guards will teleport you a few yards away from the entrance. The Silvermoon City Blood Mage guards will only allow Horde players through. Alliance resides on the northwestern Dalaran. Horde resides on the northeastern Dalaran. Both sides have their own bank and their own innkeeper. Both sides where you see these guards will have a teleport area to all major cities.
Below you have a link showing you over 80 screenshots of Dalaran. Some screenshots show you scenarios, NPCs or the new Alchemist recipes. The next update will be Dragonblight on Monday. Tell your friends and guild members to visit Blizzplanet for your Wrath of the Lich King beta updates.
Exploring Grizzly Hills is a sight for sore eyes. It is one of the nicest woods in-game. It reminds me of some videos I have seen of the US Army Training Centers in Virginia. There are many entry points into Grizzly Hills. At least three from Howling Fjord. I explored the eastern side first. The Eastwind Shore is reached through the Path of Iron. You can find Runed Iron Dwarves engaging a spell ritual with a floating rune. If you are exploring I recommend not getting near them. They are in groups of four and cast some sort of continuous ligthing-bolt streams that stun you in place causing damage over time. They spam it a lot, making your retreat a nigh-impossible or painful one if you don't have crowd-control abilities.
Heading south to Dun Argol, I was surprised it wasn't an Alliance Dwarven fortress, but a Rune Iron Dwarven fortress on the mountain-side. Northeast of the shore you will find the Bloodmoon Isle where I found what looks like humans wearing shaman clothing, a wolf-mask, and gauntlets with sharp-claws. They are Arugal Cultists. At the top of the isle is the Shadowfang Tower. Worgen are found throughout the top of the isle. To my surprise, after killing a couple of Worgen, their corpses reverted back to a cultist. Curiosity led me to reach the top where I found the Shade of Arugal casting a ritual spell similar to the one seen at Caverns of Time: Black Morass by Medivh.
West ... near the shore, is the Drakil'jin Ruins. The trolls there are still using old-troll models. Their closed beta tag marks them for an upcoming beta build update where their models will be changed to that of the Drakkari trolls or Ice trolls mentioned in the World of Warcraft: Lands of Mystery RPG Book. The ruins have a ramp going down toward an underground mausoleum similar to the one at the Amani Catacombs in the Ghostlands. There are Drakkari troll mummies on the ground and Ancestral Drakkari ghosts that curiously are friendly to players in contrast with the living ones outside the catacombs.
Heading northeast around the hill I found Thor Modan. As you approach it you will see a conflict between the Earthen and the Runed Iron Dwarves. Once inside you will see a very nice architechture, except for the unfriendly Runed Iron Dwarves. Thor Modan looks like Ironforge, but looks like most of it is inaccessible as the mountain seems to have crumbled down within after the Sundering. The gap in the middle where Ironforge has lava, in Thor Modan it has water instead. Threshadons swim along this middle gap. You can see above the interior of Thor Modan that the mountain top was ripped apart in half with a fissure that allows you to see the sky. From this outdoor top are many Mountain Giants, standing on the ledge of the fissure, attacking the Runed Iron Dwarves by throwing rocks and trees down toward them.
The Westfall Brigade Encampment has a large troop of Human Footmen and Mages and a few Dwarves. Besides towers, there is no buildings here. Only dozens of tents lined-up. There are a few NPC vendors here if you need to empty your bags or grab some quests and of course, the flightpath.
For the Horde, one of the places for quests and vendors is Camp Oneqwah where you find a flightpath. It is a Tauren outpost. It is hard to tell if these are Tauren, or Taunka. In closed beta, the models have not been changed. Tigole recently said at the official forums the Taunka models will be added in an upcoming beta patch. As he said, the Taunka look more buffalo-ish.
North of the Westfall Brigade Encampment is Ursoc's Den. Besides a few bears mounting guard outside the Den, there was nothing inside. Just a huge cavern with no roof with a lot of giant ribs covered with flesh. One curiosity is the furbolg held captive with chains.
South of the Ursoc Den, right into the center of Grizzly Hills is a giant tree that fell down. Its size is impressive even from afar. The giant trunk is hollow inside, hosting a huge city: Grizzlemaw. It is the capital of the Furbolgs of Grizzly Hills - as described in the World of Warcraft RPG: Lands of Mystery (2006). You can see two furbolg factions at war outdoors and indoors. None of both factions seem to be friendly to Horde. Not sure how it will be for Alliance.
Not far from there I found a furbolg camp named the Rage Fang Shrine where a peculiar polar bear is held captive in a cave. The bear is named Orsonn, and he is the son of Ursoc (one of the Ancients).
On the northern region of Grizzly Hills, just northwest of Grizzlemaw, is the Blue Sky Logging Grounds. There is a lot of machinery here and lumber mills near the lake. Probably for some quests. Some Horde seem to be infiltrating the area with scouts. West of the logging grounds is another Alliance base with a flightpath. It is named Silverbrook. It is at the top north of the region. If you wish to reach Drak'Tharon Keep this should be your flight point. Not far from Silverbrook, just west is Drak'Tharon Keep dungeon. It is also another of the three paths into Zul'Drak. The outdoor trolls will attack you, but once you enter through the large stairs to Drak'Tharon Keep the trolls running through won't attack you. They are fleeing and emote you asking you to get out of the way, or run for your life, mon.
There are two other Troll ruins in this northwest area with unfriendly trolls and flying serpents, so be careful in your exploration: Zeb'Halak and the Granite Springs. The latter one is a bunch of temples sunk into a small lake. However, the surrounding areas of the lake have beasts and trolls.
On the Southwest, which has a path toward Howling Fjord, you will find the Horde's main stronghold in Grizzly Hills: Conquest Hold. Grab your flightpath and talk to any NPCs if you are level 72-73. This fortress looks like the exterior of Orgrimmar. There is a huge dome housing an underground Arena. Seems like this might be one of the PvP Battleground Arenas. East of Conquest Hold is a human Lumber mill near a waterfall. There is a huge battle here between the Horde and the Alliance. Unless you want to farm or complete some quests enter at your risk, and carefully. Mobs will attack you if they aren't engaged against the other faction NPCs.
South of Conqueror Hold and next to the entrance to Howling Fjord is Voldrune, a Vykrul village. There may be a few other areas I didn't get to explore. The place is immense in size, and may take about two or three hours of exploration alone. Have fun. Nice sights. Below you have a video of Grizzly Hills showing the most notorius locations and NPCs found. Tell your friends and guild members to visit Blizzplanet for Wrath of the Lich King Beta updates.
I explored the eastern area of Grizzly Hills, and to my surprise I found someone many fans know pretty well: Shade of Arugal. He can be found at the top of the Shadowfang Tower in Bloodmoon Isle. The isle is full of Worgen, and Arugal Cultists. They seem to be humans wearing wolf masks. When you kill the Worgen their corpse reverts back to the Cultists. Check out our Northrend Maps section.
I continued my trek through the northern area of the Howling Fjord to explore and take video of the most notable mobs or landscape I could find to show you. This time around you can see the new type of Dryads at the Frozen Glade and Vibrant Glade just to the central north, the Skorn is a big village of Vykrul. This area can be quietly harsh. The Skorn has a few towers. Atop them are at least five or more Vykrul mages casting frostbolts. If you get anywhere within range even if you are afar they will engage you. You can see various Vykrul practicing battle with each other. Atop Skorn village is a big bonfire and bigger huts in L-shape. That bonfire area shows female Vykrul in combat.
Going north of Skorn and the Frozen Glade you can find the gargantuan Yetis east of Gjalerbron, and the very northwest corner has a huge Vykrul building known as Gjalerbron, where it is notable how the Vykrul has allied with the Undead Scourge making sacrifices to gain the Scourge's blessing into their fold. There are Liches, Gargoyles, a flying Frost Wyrm which seems to appear during a quest, Vykrul undead, and the new Scourge unit: Plague Eruptor. Traveling to the middle-west of Howling Fjord, I found the Ember Clutch. Here the proto-dragons are setting the woods ablaze. One would think they are attacking, when in reality it seems they are just making a suitable place for their egg hatching. The Vykrul has a building inside this infernal woods and you can see them nurturing the eggs which means they are raising the proto-dragons to serve the Vykrul.
Here are some videos of different areas and mobs found throughout Howling Fjord. This is a very big place to spend a couple of hours exploring. There is a very strong presence of Vykrul all around Howling Fjord. They look like giant humans. There is also runed iron dwarves, Storm Giants and Yeti.
Below is the Forsaken village where you arrive via Zeppelin from Tirisfal Glades (3:52).
The video below gives you a tour through the eastern area of Howling Fjord. (12:40)
Well, here we go! Just finished installing World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Beta. Expect legit Beta updates often from Blizzplanet. All those winners of the Murloc Contest held by Blizzplanet last year should check out their email. Most BlizzCon card owners got a beta invite last night. If you are in Europe, you will most likely get a error message: "Beta key does not exist". Only US seems to work. Those who registered via wow-europe.com will have to wait some time until the issue is addressed. No ETA.
Below is Blizzplanet's first wave of Closed Beta Screenshots. Videos to be posted later in the afternoon.
Are you going to San Diego Comic Con? Do you have a camera or video camera? Contact me asap.
Don’t Miss This Exclusive Behind the Scenes Look at the World of Warcraft
Friday, July 25th
3 pm
San Diego Convention Center
Room 6CDEF
On Friday, July 24th at the San Diego Comic Con, Upper Deck (booth #2829) hosts a rare look at what’s coming to Azeroth World of Warcraft fans! Beginning at 3 pm, attendees will hear from Blizzard’s own Chris Metzen and Cory Hudson Jones, along with Upper Deck’s World of Warcraft Brand Manager Justin Gary. Plus, representatives from Tokyopop, Wildstorm and DC Unlimited will each reveal something for fans to look forward to!
Come to the World of Warcraft panel and be the first to learn what’s new with the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game.
Get an insider’s look at the upcoming World of Warcraft Miniatures Game. Preview yet-to-be-published art from the World of Warcraft manga.
Glimpse concept images for next year’s DC Unlimited World of Warcraft Action Figures!
Get a chance to win great prizes!
Plus, every attendee receives a Comic-Con exclusive variant version of the World of Warcraft comic book!
We're pleased to announce a convenient upgrade to the way that mounts and vanity pets are handled in Wrath of the Lich King.
Players will be able to "learn" a mount or non-combat pet much like learning a spell, recipe, or new ability, and these creatures will then show up on a new Pet tab within the Character Info section of the interface. Players will be able to access and preview their learned mounts and vanity pets through this tab.
Once learned, the pet icon or mount icon will no longer appear in bag spaces or bank spaces. This inventory space will be made available once again for other adventuring needs. Pets can still be set to hotkeys by dragging them to the hotkey bar, much like any other spell or ability.
Those players in closed beta who are wondering how to enter some dungeons or if the dungeon is bugged, here you have some updates from Blizzard WotLK Forum poster Daelo:
Utgarde Keep is a level 70-72 dungeon in Howling Fjord, just north of Valgarde.
The Nexus is a level 71-73 dungeon in Borean Tundra, located in the middle of the Coldarra.
Azjol-Nerub is a level 72-74 dungeon in Dragonblight, located in the western part of the zone south of Icemist Village.
Drak'Tharon Keep is a level 74-76 dungeon at the border of Grizzly Hills and Zul'drak.
Halls of Stone is a level 77-79 dungeon in northern Storm Peaks.
Since Storm Peaks is currently inaccessible during this part of the beta testing process, there is a temporary Iron Dwarf NPC placed inside Dalaran who will teleport you into the dungeon. Please form your group before you enter the dungeon, so every party member ends up in the same instance. Leaving the dungeon via the normal dungeon exit will put you back in Dalaran.
If you perish inside Halls of Stone, you will teleport back to a graveyard in Dalaran near the Iron Dwarf NPC. You may talk to the Iron Dwarf NPC even while a ghost, and he will teleport you back inside.
We have some information to share regarding the beta codes received by those who attended the 2008 Worldwide Invitational or the 2007 BlizzCon. These codes are going to be used for the Wrath of the Lich King beta test.
If you do have a beta code from one of these events, we urge you to register it immediately and without delay. Full details on how to register your code can be found at the following page:
The front cover and solicitation summary of issue for World of Warcraft: Ashbringer# 2 are now available. The limited series spanning four-issues showcases the tale of Alexandros Mograine. In issue# 2, his son betrays him -- the epic tale everyone knows of is coming to the comic book format with more details. The story is written by Blizzard Entertainment's Micky Neilson.
World of Warcraft# 12 continues the Missing Diplomat saga with King Varian Wrynn making his way to Stormwind. It is payback time for Lady Prestor. Front Cover and solicitations here:
This is an alert to all fans who have a Hunter and Shaman, because I know how it feels to spend time and resources. It is your choice whether to or not wait until expansion retail. From the Shaman forums of the Wrath of the Lich King beta forums comes dire news concerning how Strength stats work. Shamans and Hunters who are leveling up at this point, or will get upgrade loot in upcoming raids may want to reconsider how to spend gold and resources when it comes to gems and enchantments as Strength won't be of much help to you once the expansion is on sale.
Malan: I happened to roll my mouse over the Agility line of the char screen and was surprised that it says I'm gettting 250 Attack Power from Agility and I definitely have more AP than I do on live with the same gear. (I am not spec'd into Mental Dexterity so its not Intellect doing it)
Anyone able to verify this?
For reference: with my full kit on my AP shows 1888. I remove the exalted hyjal ring (29 Agility and 60 AP).
My AP on the char sheet drops to 1799, a difference of 89. 29 + 60 = 89. Its definitely giving me AP for my agility. Further quirkiness: Only getting 1 AP from strength. I think Blizzard just fundamentally changed our class and didn't tell us. =(
Koraa (Blizzard): Sorry about that, it should of been in the patch notes. The idea is for DPS mail (with AGI and AP) to be viable for both Hunters and Shaman. Strength is mostly now only a stat for Death Knights, Warriors and Ret Paladins.
A few days ago, Richard A. Knaak had given me a heads up about a podcast interview he had with Jonathan Lonczak from WoWPodcast (BrokenEggsMedia.com). The podcast will be available today Sunday in the evening. Jonathan sent me a few highlights for you to get a feeling. Oh, a new novel ... World of Warcraft: Stormrage.
What got Richard Knaak into Blizzard?
They approached him because of his Dragonlance books. Some of the heads of Blizzard had grown up on his Dragonlance works and asked him to write for both Warcraft and Diablo. This allowed Richard to write for both of the kinds of fantasy that he liked, Lord of the Rings type fantasy and dark fantasy.
How much did he play the Warcraft games?
Richard played Warcraft II Battlenet Edition quite a bit. Played World of Warcraft a little bit, but used a lot of background material and screen shots for inspiration. Blizzard has lore keepers who are able to provide him with facts. This also ensures that all of the information that is produced for the Warcraft franchise by writers is consistent.
Did he picture himself as Rhonin or Krasus?
Krasus and Rhonin are especially a part of Richard. He puts a lot of himself into all of his characters, but especially with them. It was difficult to orchestrate them into the story and to have them change parts of the history while maintaining the integrity of Blizzard’s original story.
How did he come up with the character traits of main characters?
Some of it came from the depth of the world itself, and the writing of the original story in game. Azshara’s vanity is a direct result of the way she is worshipped by her people, so it makes logical sense that this would bring about her downfall. Illidan’s lust for power acts in the same way leading to his downfall and internal conflict between good and evil. Many of the character traits in the major characters are able to be derived by their actions in previous circumstances.
How did he come up with all the war tactics that are used in the War of the Ancients Archives?
He figured out what needed to be moved about in each battle. That determined how to bring characters to their next phase. He has a love for history and does a lot of reading about the civil war and major military conflicts. He then uses what he learned from military history and military war games into the Warcraft universe.
If he had to play any class in the game what would it be?
He likes Mages, Paladins, and Warlocks. His favorite races are Human, Tauren, and Night Elves.
Current Productions:
He has written the first story in the first Starcraft anthology. It is a moral story and is a bit longer than some of his other works. This will be released in August.
Working on “Dragons of Outlands” which will go into more detail about the outlands, but not allowed to say much more.
Working on “Night of the Dragon,” this is the sequel to “Day of the Dragon” and will have returning and new characters . The book will also contain some Draenei and will be the hardest thing that Krasus has had to go through yet.
He will be working on a new Diablo novel which he can say nothing else about.
He will also be working on another new Warcraft novel “Stormrage”. Which he can also tell us nothing more about.
There are many more interesting questions and answers during the interview, to hear more please visit http://www.wowpodcast.com and listen to our streaming feed, or download the content to listen to on your portable player.
ArenaArc is a new LFG/LFM website that helps you find arena teams and teammates that meet your server/size need. It was created to be a simple and easy to use solution to combat trade channel LF team’s spam.
The website makes it very easy to join: A very simple sign-up form followed by your character’s name and server. ArenaArc then gets your characters stats and gear for you automatically from the WoW Armory website. You are then free to add your character to LFG/LFM in each team size. Your character will then be instantly added to the list of users on your server.
With a large user base, ArenaArc will be a powerful way to find the exact teammate or team that meets your needs.
Nethaera: The Wrath of the Lich King invitations have started to go out, and we have officially begun the beta test. As with The Burning Crusade, the beta-test process for Wrath of the Lich King will occur in phases, during which we will be inviting players who have opted-in to participate.
Players who have been invited to participate in the beta test will need to create a temporary Blizzard Account by visiting here.
For more information on the Wrath of the Lich King beta test, please read the FAQ.
The Wrath of the Lich King Closed Beta is about to start. Blizzard is preparing to unleash beta key emails to those who signed up to the Opt-In. Remember Blizzard will never ask for your personal account info nor password. Don't click links on any email that says Blizzard. Instead type the worldofwarcraft.com URL manually to be safe.
If you already got your CD-key emailed go to this page to upgrade your Burning Crusade account to a Wrath of the Lich King account. This process will allow you to download the closed beta client.
If you haven't signed up to the Closed Beta Opt-In you really should to be one of the random picked fans. Remember to visit Blizzplanet and other fansites once Blizzard announces Fansites Beta Contests.
Update 5:30am EST: WoWInsider reports WoW Europe has started to get CD-Key emails to join closed beta as of 6am Paris Time. USA might be getting these emails quietly soon today. Check out the email you registered your WoW Account with and make sure to search your junk mail or to add blizzard.com to the safe list. Again, beware fake emails that look like they came from Blizzard. Don't click links in the email. Type the www.worldofwarcraft.com URL manually and paste the remaining text.
Patch Notes available at the WotLK Beta forums and below after the break ... Thanks, Aldorian (Stratics)
The Latin American Spanish version of World of Warcraft is gearing up for release and will be available for purchase starting next Friday, July 25. See the press release and FAQ for further details.
To celebrate the release, we’ll be holding a launch event in Plaza Satelite, a mall located in Estado de Mexico, on July 26 and 27. We’ll have activities to participate in and prizes to win, and you’ll be able to meet members of our Latin American team and other Blizzard Entertainment employees. For more details, please visit the event webpage.
If you’re new to World of Warcraft, we suggest checking out our Getting Started guide for more information on the game.
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