November 1, 2007
In the latest Blizzard newsletter there was a hidden link to a Wrath of the Lich King page that isn’t linked to anywhere on the main WotLK website. On this page there is a bunch of new art and screenshots as well as an in depth interview with the designers about what went into creating the first dungeon Utgarde Keep.
We expect most players to battle through this dungeon at a brisk pace. You will find that you will probably be able to play through Utgarde Keep much more quickly than its high-level counterparts, similar to Burning Crusade equivalents such as Hellfire Ramparts and Blood Furnace. Accessibility is a high priority, especially with the early dungeons, both in terms of location — the entrance portal is extremely close to the outskirts of the town — and in terms of how much time players need to invest in the dungeon. Along these lines, the overall difficulty of the dungeon is comparable to a first attempt at Ramparts in
Outland.
A bit on what they learned from The burning Crusade:
We learned some important lessons from The Burning Crusade’s starting area and dungeons, in terms of both what worked and what didn’t, and these lessons are reflected in Northrend. For example, there are two starting areas, each with its own dungeon, as opposed to The Burning Crusade’s single Hellfire Peninsula / Hellfire Citadel combo. The reasoning behind this is to provide a choice to the player — the area you decide to start in is where you will spend your early levels in Northrend. You can also decide to travel to the other starting area at any time, thanks to a free travel system between the zones of Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord, but most players will likely gravitate toward one area in order to complete the various quests there. Having two starting areas also adds to Wrath of the Lich King’s replayability — when it’s time to pick a starting area for an alt, you can pick the one that you didn’t play through the first time around.
It’s a very interesting preview of the dungeon and some of the new art looks amazing. Be sure to check it out here!
Posted in News, Wrath of the Lich King 
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October 30, 2007
Not long ago many of the job postings on the Blizzard job site now have a “TOP SECRET” icon next to them. Last night those icons were not there as a friend and I were browsing through the jobs talking about how awesome it would be to work there. Interesting that this happens on the eve before Halloween, is this hinting at “World of Diablo” or “Diablo 3″ perhaps?! or is it just a coincidence?
Let’s also keep in mind that Blizzard said they had three games to announce this year and so far only two have been, Starcraft 2 and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.
Update: After looking through many of the job listings the posting for Senior 3D Character Artist says this right at the beginning
“The team behind Diablo I and II is looking for a skilled Senior 3D Character Artist. The ideal candidate has experience modeling and texturing a diverse visual range of characters and creatures. A solid grasp of form, structure, color, and light for both 2D and 3D art assets is essential. “
Both Senior 3D Character Artists and Lead 3D Environment Artist have the same thing posted so things are looking good for a new diablo!
Posted in Blizzard, Diablo, News 2 Comments »
October 27, 2007
Thats right! for those of us who enjoy buying and selling characters on wow, for the low fee of $10 you are now able to change your characters name!
We�re happy to announce that through the wonders of modern gnomish engineering, you are now able to change your characters� names. Finally, you can turn the moniker that seemed like a good idea at the time into something more befitting your true standing in World of Warcraft.
Visit Account Management to begin the paid character-name-change process. The fee is $10 per name change. As with our recent addition of voice chat to the game, this feature is being rolled out across all realms in several phases. The first-phase realms are listed in this forum post. Enjoy this new feature and the subsequent effect that your bold new name will have on friends and foes alike.
Posted in News, World of Warcraft No Comments »
October 24, 2007
As you may know if you have been reading any fansites this last week, 2.3 has been on the PTR. With this patch we will see many new additions to the game including a new raid instance! Below is a list of the most noteable features.
Zul’Aman is the new 10 man raid instance, the gear is about ilvl 128 which should ease the gap between the early 25 raid instances and coilfang/tempest keep.
Guild banks are being added to the game, guild banks hold up to 588 slots, you can purchase up to 6 tabs in your guild bank at the rate of 1g, 10g, 100g, 1000g, 5000g, and 10000g, resulting in the low price of 16,111 gold for all 598 slots. Only guild masters can set permissions for the guild banks.
Many new badge of justice rewards including armor, rings, and trinkets. Badges will now also drop off Karazhan and Zul’Aman Bosses, some of the later bosses in Zul’Aman dropping up to 2 each.
Season 3 Arena will begin shortly after the patch goes live, many season 3 weapons are getting a new look, also an important thing to note is all Season 1 gear will then move to the honor vendors, which means your team can get some decent gear prior to entering the arenas finally!
This patch is huge and we cant list everything here so we have created a patch notes page for 2.3, check it here!
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August 27, 2007
Pre-WotLK
1-60 content will be revamped, some specifics have been announced such as all quest xp bumped up 30%. The overall experience needed for each level between 20-60 will be reduced, however, there is no word yet on the exact amount. Also, dustwallow marsh will have a new town added with a quest hub and instances like uldaman may see a revamp to give players a new experience.
Zul’aman will be on the PTR as soon as the voice chat patch comes out.
There will be new heroic badge items and armor sets added to the vendors in patch 2.3
Sunwell Plateau will not be out until patch 2.4, which is quite a ways off. There will be 2 parts, one will be a 25 player raid instance harder than the black temple, the other part will be a 5 player instance that will have both regular and heroic modes.
Wrath of the Lich King
Naxxramas will be revamped and retuned for 25 person raids and will be in the new expansion. They plan to continue the story of ashbringer and reuse the tier 3 sets with updated stats.
Stratholme will be added to the caverns of time for a level 80 group instance
The Nexus will also be a group of instances, including one for 70-71 players, a level 80 instance, and a raid instance where you run into Malygos.
The Woodworking profession is being considered, this would allow hunters to create weapons and arrows.
In the demo players found that the priest talent “Pain Suppression” has changed to a 1 minute cooldown and you can cast it on friendly players within 20 yards
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