With the final battle against the Lich King just on the horizon, Lead Content Designer Cory Stockton and Lead Systems Designer Greg Street discuss what awaits players inside Icecrown Citadel and offer a glimpse at the design process behind Wrath of the Lich King's ultimate raid and dungeon encounters. Check out our interview with them now!
With the end of autumn just around the corner, the inhabitants of Azeroth gather together to enjoy the final fruits of the harvest and hunting seasons. Celebrated near every major city and many minor ones, Pilgrim’s Bounty is a time of sharing and preparing for the winter to come. Check out our Pilgrim's Bounty page to learn more about this new Azerothian holiday now!
They say that knowledge can be a greater weapon than even the most powerful spells, armors, or arms. The battles that lie ahead beyond the gates of Icecrown will test your mettle like none before, and you will need all the help you can get. So arm yourself with knowledge, and discover the truth about the dangers that await you within the Frozen Halls in our new Icecrown Dungeon Bosstiary.
We’re pleased to announce that Blizzard Entertainment will be attending Dreamhack Winter 2009, the world’s largest computer festival, which is taking place from 26th to 29th November in Jönköping, Sweden.
Dreamhack attendees will be able to visit the Blizzard booth to take part in various competitions and contests, and also to play both StarCraft II and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.
You can find out more about Dreamhack Winter 2009 at http://www.dreamhack.se/dhw09.
We look forward to seeing you there!
At the biggest Russian games event, IgroMir, which took place on November 5-8, Blizzard Entertainment presented two Blizzard games: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and StarCraft II. Chris Sigaty (lead producer on StarCraft II) and J. Allen Brack (production director on World of Warcraft) visited IgroMir for the first time, taking a moment out of their busy schedules to talk to the Russian audience about these eagerly awaited games.
You can have a look at the recaps of the both panels on our IgroMir Coverage page:
Today we bring to you one of Helghast's artworks Seyphiria, agent des Sha'tar (Seyphiria, Agent of the Sha'tar), a portrait of this brave draenei protector of Shattrath.
We're always looking for new fan art and if you're an artist, you can submit your work to us here. We update the Gallery regularly and encourage you to check regularly to see what new and talented submissions are on display.
As the Lich King continues his dark work inside the halls of Icecrown Citadel, the warriors and smiths of the Ashen Verdict scramble to forge a weapon capable of defeating the Scourge. To aid the Verdict in its cause, you'll need to follow in Arthas's footsteps, gambling with your very soul to gather the materials that will create the legendary axe Shadowmourne.
Find out more about the quest to build Shadowmourne, available in the upcoming content patch 3.3, in our new preview of the legendary weapon Shadowmourne.
We have just added a new wallpaper to our Official World of Warcraft Wallpaper Gallery depicting scenes from the World of Warcraft comic series!
This wallpaper features artwork from WildStorm's monthly comic series. If you like what you see, you can visit WildStorm on the web for more information or to subscribe to the series directly.
"You gotta choice, Jack. You can watch Mr. T's new TV commercial…or you can HURT." Mr. T, outraged that any fools would doubt his hacking skills, has returned to World of Warcraft to show off his latest invention in a series of televised ads run in North America. Watch them here first at Blizzard's new World of Warcraft YouTube channel or click here to learn more about the mohawk grenade which can be obtained in Europe starting on November 24!
Everybody knows that there are no girls in World of Warcraft. After all, there are only men on the internet!
...and if you believe that, you should probably read our spotlight on women playing World of Warcraft. Even if you weren't fooled by the introduction you still shouldn't miss our "Girl Power" page as you will have the opportunity to learn more about Jessica and Nephyla, two talented cartoonists. They have answered our questions about both their art and their favorite game. It's a great opportunity for you to discover some fantastic artistic creations while hearing a female take on World of Warcraft. Enjoy!
World of Warcraft is now a part of the new Battle.net! In preparation for the rollout of Battle.net's upcoming communication and community features, as of today, all World of Warcraft accounts must be merged with a free Battle.net account in order to log in to the game. To upgrade to a Battle.net account, please go here. For more info, check out the Battle.net site or read the FAQ.
We have just added a new page to our Patch 3.3 Preview section about the upcoming changes to the Quest Interface System. With new features on the quest log, the zone map, and new quest tracking options, these changes will make completing tricky quests a breeze! Take a moment to check it out!
Today,
November 12, 2009
, all current World of Warcraft players must
merge their World of Warcraft accounts with a Battle.net account
in order to log in to the game. As our way to say "thanks" for taking a moment to go through the process, all accounts that upgrade to Battle.net will receive a brand-new penguin in-game pet. On November 12, all World of Warcraft players will need to log in to the game using a Battle.net username and password, and anyone who wishes to create a new World of Warcraft account will need to start with a Battle.net account.
Creating a Battle.net account is simple and free. To merge your existing account with a Battle.net account and receive your penguin in-game pet today, visit https://eu.battle.net/account/management/wow-account-conversion.xml. For more info, check out the Battle.net site or read the FAQ.
‘Tis the season for our inaugural Blizzard Holiday Card Contest! Every year, Blizzard creates a unique holiday card to send season's greetings to little murlocs, zerglings, and imps everywhere. This year, we're inviting you to catch the spirit by creating an original Blizzard-themed holiday card of your own.
To participate, just submit your entries here by 12 p.m. Pacific Time on December 7. We'll select three winners to receive a prize package full of gaming gear from Razer, along with an official 2009 Blizzard holiday card signed by the artist, Samwise Didier. Be sure to check back after the contest is over, as we'll be making the winning entries available for use as your very own holiday cards this season. Check out the official rules for more information.
Today we bring to you one of NanO's artworks Flagrant Délit (Caught in the Act), a humorous scene featuring two rather unlikely companions having an interesting time...
We're always looking for new fan art and if you're an artist, you can submit your work to us here. We update the Gallery regularly and encourage you to check regularly to see what new and talented submissions are on display.
We have just added a new wallpaper to our Official World of Warcraft Wallpaper Gallery depicting scenes from the World of Warcraft comic series!
This wallpaper features artwork from WildStorm's monthly comic series. If you like what you see, you can visit WildStorm on the web for more information or to subscribe to the series directly.
After a great start to IgroMir 2009 on Friday, the weekend was even busier at the Blizzard booth: the number of visitors surpassed all expectations!
Our guests formed two very long queues to test out the playable demos of two upcoming Blizzard games, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and StarCraft II. For most of the Russian-speaking community this was their first chance to experience these games. World of Warcraft fans were impressed with the changes brought to Azeroth by the coming Cataclysm, while StarCraft lovers were excited by StarCraft II's blend of authentic atmosphere and cutting-edge real-time strategy design.
Our quizzes and contests gave attendees their chance to fight for fame and glory. Our Online Community Representative Kihjawi asked the questions, and correct answers gave attendees the chance to participate in our live contests. World of Warcraft players were challenged to level up a Goblin or a Worgen as quickly as they could in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and StarCraft fans participated in a ‘hot streak' to prove their multiplayer skills. Among the prizes there were not only Blizzard souvenirs, but also Gurky codes and Collectors' Editions of World of Warcraft: the Wrath of the Lich King.
Another important event that happened at the Blizzard booth over the weekend was a meeting of the Russian-speaking role play community. People came to meet up not only from different towns but even from different countries. For most of them it was their first real-life gathering, and people really enjoyed meeting their friends ‘in the flesh'. You can discuss your experiences and create new role playing threads on our Russian forum.
As at IgroMir 2008, the "Blizzard is hiring" desk drew lots of people. Those wanting to work with Blizzard's great games could bring us their resumes or fill in a special form to tell us about their talents. If you missed this opportunity, you can always visit our job page to find the most up-to-date information about positions open right now.
Once again we would like to thank you for visiting our booth. Stay tuned for further updates!
In case you missed the news last week, the Major League Gaming (MLG) PC Circuit, which features World of Warcraft Arena competitions, made its final regular-season stop at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA from November 6 through 8.
The best 3v3 Arena teams in the world, including SK (Europe), SK (U.S.), Complexity (U.S.), Complexity BHMS (U.S.), Button Bashers (Korea), Check-6 (U.S.), Fnatic (U.S.), and EG (U.S.) were competing for over $15,000 cash and a chance to compete in the MLG Championship in January 2010.
Replays of all the matches are available at www.GotFrag.com complete with expert commentary. For more information and to check out the winners, Button Bashers from Korea, go to www.mlgpro.com and www.GotFrag.com.
We have just finished the updates of the Tier 10 Sneak Preview page with the latest armor set fresh from the PTRs: the shaman! The armor sets preview page is now complete for all classes. See what epic look awaits you!
J!NX is unveiling a new store in association with Blizzard, tailored exclusively for Europe!
To celebrate this special occasion the J!NX Europe store will be offering shirts:
Stop by the new J!NX European Online Store and find out what exclusive swag awaits you!
Today the biggest Russian games exhibition, IgroMir, opened its doors to the public! Players flooded the Blizzard booth throughout the first day of the show, meeting our staff and trying out the playable demos of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.
Quizzes on World of Warcraft and StarCraft gave those waiting to play the chance to win some nice prizes from our partners if they knew the correct answer to one of the questions asked by our Community manager Кихьяви (Kihjawi). The crowd won lots of great Razer and SteelSeries loot!
Further attractions for the Russian communities were the discussion panels on two hotly anticipated Blizzard games: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and StarCraft II. Chris Sigaty (lead producer on StarCraft II) and J. Allen Brack (production director on World of Warcraft) visited IgroMir for the first time to tell players about the games that were presented to the Russian audience.
J. Allen Brack spoke about some of the many changes coming to the world of Azeroth, paying special attention to PvP aspects (Tol Barad, a new outdoor PvP area) and the totally revamped guild management features.
Meanwhile, Chris Sigaty talked not only about the story that drives StarCraft II, but also about the many new Battle.net features that players will experience once the premium online gaming service is relaunched.
A recap of the panels will be published later on our IgroMir site. Please be sure to check it out, and stay tuned for more news from IgroMir 2009!
In our eleventh episode of BlizzCast, we have a roundtable discussion with members of the Community Team to recap the major happenings of this year's BlizzCon. Rob Simpson from the eSports Team leads the session which includes the community team managers Bashiok for Diablo, Karune for StarCraft, and Nethaera for World of Warcraft. Join our discussion as we relive some of our favorite moments from BlizzCon 2009.
As the threats within Icecrown Citadel continue to take shape, so do the rewards for the brave souls who seek to face them. We've just released a first look at some of the new tier-10 armor sets that will be available to intrepid adventurers upon the release of the Icecrown Citadel raid dungeon. The preview contains all of the sets that we've completed so far, and you can click an image to see each set from different angles. We'll add more classes' sets as we continue to develop and polish them, so be sure to check back for updates.
Today we're pleased to introduce the Pet Store for World of Warcraft, a new way for players to obtain in-game pets to join them on their adventures in Azeroth. Two brand-new companions are now available for purchase exclusively at the Pet Store in the online Blizzard Store: Lil' K.T. and the Pandaren Monk.
Make a Difference: Pandaren Monk Charity Pet
Enter the Pandaren Monk, a martial-arts expert who's here to help celebrate the upcoming fifth anniversary of World of Warcraft. He may be cute, but he's proof that even the softest of critters can overcome the hardest of circumstances. For every Pandaren Monk that finds its way to a player's side between now and the end of the year (December 31, 2009 at 11:59 PDT (8:59 CET)), we'll donate 50 percent of the $10 purchasing price to the Make-a-Wish Foundation in an effort to brew up a little hope, strength, and joy in a child's life.
Lil' K.T., the Littlest Lich
Lil' K.T. is a miniature lich who bears a striking resemblance to the legendary lord of Naxxramas, Kel'Thuzad. But don't let his diminutive stature fool you: Lil' K.T. has a diabolical laugh and wields true power at his bony fingertips, randomly wreaking icy havoc on critters who dare to cross his path. You can now buy this new pet for €10 on the Blizzard Store.
In order to receive a purchased pet, you'll need to merge your World of Warcraft account with a Battle.net account. For more information on Battle.net, please visit the FAQ. For more information on the new Pet Store, visit the Pet Store FAQ.
Today we bring to you one of Tonis90's artworks Night Elf, a beautiful image of a member of this nocturnal race.
We're always looking for new fan art and if you're an artist, you can submit your work to us here. We update the Gallery regularly and encourage you to check regularly to see what new and talented submissions are on display.
We have just added two new wallpapers to our World of Warcraft Wallpaper Gallery featuring scenes from Zul'Drak and Onyxia's Lair. Take a moment to check them out!
Heroic Prints and Blizzard Entertainment have joined forces to bring you the opportunity to create customized World of Warcraft posters featuring the character you play. PrintWarcraft.com uses specially designed rendering technology and access to character information, along with a variety of backgrounds, logos, borders, and fonts, to create the ultimate custom poster. Head over and check out all the options today.
In ages past the great Dragon Aspects worked alongside the night elves to forge powerful prismatic blades that could be used to thwart any evil that came into the world. One of these weapons, Quel'Serrar, was recently unearthed. Another will soon be found...
In the upcoming content patch the sister blade, Quel'Delar, will be obtainable by players. If you want to know more, take a glimpse into this weapon's tragic past and where the quest to re-forge it will begin.