Blizzard is to resurrect the World of Warcraft Scroll of Resurrection.
Soon, and for a limited time, existing players will be able to invite departed players back to Azeroth. Those who accept the offer will have their return smoothed by a number of generous benefits, and the player who invited him or her will receive a faction-specific spectral flying mount.
Players who accept a Scroll and return to World of Warcraft will benefit from the following leg-ups:
Blizzard has introduced World of Warcraft Guardian Cubs, pets that can be bought from the Pet Store with real money, and sold in-game for gold.
Guardian Cubs are bind-on-equip items and cost US$10. They can then be sold in the Auction House and players can carry more than one.
The system is somewhat limited, as the Guardian Cub comes at a standard price and the in-game market will determine its in-game value.
World of Warcraft Patch 4.3 is an understatement. The title does nothing to capture the significance of the content it introduces to a game that, now approaching its seventh anniversary, has proven to be as enduring as it is popular.
With 4.3 comes the final battle against Deathwing the Destroyer. This ancient, corrupt dragon Aspect is the Cataclysm expansion’s primary antagonist and his inevitable fall at the hands of the World of Warcraft playerbase marks the beginning of the end for Cataclysm content.
Last week, we sat down with Scott Mercer, World of Warcraft’s lead encounter designer, to learn just how Blizzard intends to deliver a gripping climax to another year in Azeroth.
Blizzard has announced that its Real-ID party feature for World of Warcraft is now available for testing on all realms.
The Real-ID party feature allows friends connected via Real-ID friends lists to group with one another across any realms so long as their characters are of the same faction.
These groups will be able to tackle five-player normal or heroic instances.
The Korean-based Global StarCraft League (GSL) finals are to be held at BlizzCon in Anaheim this year, organisers GomTV and Blizzard Entertainment have announced.
The GSL’s Head of Operations, Chae Jung Won, said, “I don’t want StarCraft II to become an e-sports title like StarCraft Brood War which was [exclusive] to people inside of Korea.”
“Currently, Korean gamers are competing with Korean gamers inside of Korea,” continued Mr. Chae. “However, thanks to the emergence of frequent foreign tournaments, they are willing to fly over to compete.”
Blizzard has today announced that World of Warcraft is free-to-play up to level 20.
Previously, the World of Warcraft trial program had lasted from 10 to 14 days.
Now called the Starter Edition, the trial also includes access to The Burning Crusade expansion, meaning players can choose the Draenei and Blood Elf races.
Blizzard has revealed that the number of people subscribing to its massively multiplayer game World of Warcraft has declined since prior to the launch of the Cataclysm expansion.
In yesterday’s Activision-Blizzard conference call with investors, Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime announced that, “We finished the quarter [in March] with more than 11.4 million subscribers worldwide.”
In October last year, Blizzard tallied active subscriptions at more than 12 million.
*Note: Original World of Warcraft and all previous expansions (The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King) required.
In Cataclysm, players will witness the face of Azeroth being altered forever, as the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing awakens from his subterranean slumber and erupts onto the surface, leaving ruin and destruction in his wake. As the Horde and Alliance race to the epicenter of the cataclysm, the kingdoms of Azeroth will witness seismic shifts in power, the kindling of a war of the elements, and the emergence of unlikely heroes who will rise up to protect their scarred and broken world from utter devastation.
Building on the foundation established in World of Warcraft and its first two expansions, Cataclysm will add a variety of new content and offer players the opportunity to rediscover Azeroth and experience the game from a whole new perspective. New features coming with the game’s third expansion include:
- Two New Playable Races: Adventure as the cursed worgen with the Alliance or the resourceful goblins with the Horde.
Increased Level Cap: Advance to level 85 and earn new abilities, tap into new talents, and progress through the path system, a new way for players to customize characters.- Classic Zones Remade: Quest to level 60 as you never have before. Familiar zones across the original continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been reforged by the cataclysm and updated with new quests and content.
- Flying Mounts in Azeroth: Explore Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms from a whole new perspective.
- Guild Advancement: Progress as a guild to earn guild levels and guild achievements.
- New High-Level Content: Explore newly opened parts of the world, including Uldum, Grim Batol, and the great sunken city of Vashj'ir beneath the sea, and enjoy even more high-level raid content than in previous expansions.
- New PvP Zone & Rated Battlegrounds: Take on PvP objectives and daily quests on Tol Barad Island, a new Wintergrasp-like zone, and wage war in all-new rated Battlegrounds.
- Archaeology: Master a new secondary profession to unearth valuable artifacts and earn unique rewards.
- New Race and Class Combinations: Explore Azeroth as a gnome priest, blood elf warrior, or one of the other never-before-available race and class combinations.
