14 DAY TRIAL // It wasn't hard to decide what piece of news to post first. A title going "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Unveiled," cannot go unnoticed. Blizzard.com themselves report that the company has announced plans for a second expansion to its popular MMORPG, currently sporting an amazing 9 million subscribers (and counting).
The developer has unveiled the expansion at its BlizzCon gaming festival, with an audience of more than 8,000 gamers. Wrath of the Lich King is said to open the forbidding wasteland of Northrend to exploration by the hardiest adventurers. There will be new levels of power, challenging new dungeons and encounters, as well as new character profession, and the game's first hero class.
"This expansion will add some of the most infamous characters and settings from the Warcraft universe to World of Warcraft," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "In addition to new story content, Wrath of the Lich King will introduce a number of features specifically requested by players over the past couple of years. We're looking forward to sharing further details with everyone as development progresses."
Northrend is not unfamiliar to Blizzard's fans, as they've visited this realm in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, when Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner'zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful beings in the Warcraft universe. He currently broods atop the Frozen Throne deep in Icecrown Citadel, the report reads, clutching the rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge. Wrath of the Lich King will see the forces of the Alliance and the Horde will venture into battle against the Scourge amid Northrend's howling winds and fields of jagged ice.
OK, let's just get to what's really important. Here are some of the expansion's main features, just as Blizzard themselves post them:
Death Knight Hero Class - Create a high-level Death Knight character -- the game's first hero class -- once certain challenges have been met. Increased Level Cap - Advance to level 80 and gain potent new talents and abilities along the way. Northrend - Explore the harsh new continent of Northrend, packed with new zones, quests, dungeons, monsters, and items; battle with the undead armies of the Lich King. "Inscription" Profession - Learn this exciting new profession and gain unique ways to permanently enhance spells and abilities in the game. Siege Weapons and Destructible Buildings - Take the battle to another level with new player-vs.-player game mechanics and new battlefields to wage war on. New Character Customization - Change how characters look and express themselves, with different hairstyles and dance animations.
Stay close for any updates on WoW's newly announced expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. Given that Blizzard hasn't confirmed a release date for the new expansion, we can guess it's under deep development, but rest assured, Wrath of the Lich King will most likely launch by the end of 2007 - Blizzard's fans are already kind of tired of the same thing and the developer knows it.