New World of Warcraft Expansion?

Either this is real, or someone spent a lot of time fooling us all. I
cancelled my account, but I’m sure Fatass will enjoy losing all of his
productivity in his quest for level 80, and “death knight” status.

FAQ for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

What are the features of the new expansion?

Wrath of the Lich King builds on the rich foundation established in
World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade, providing a wealth of new
content for players to explore. The harsh, forbidding continent of
Northrend, home of the Lich King and his undead minions, will be
uncovered on the world map, and to contend with the new challenges found
there, players will be able to advance to level 80, acquiring potent new
abilities and talents along the way.

In addition, Wrath of the Lich King will introduce the death knight hero
class to World of Warcraft. Once certain criteria are met, players will
be able to create a new death knight character, which will start at a
high level. Furthermore, player-vs.-player battles will reach a new
level of intensity with the addition of siege weapons and destructible
buildings, not to mention a new battleground. There will also be an
abundance of new quests, dungeons, monsters, items, and recipes — as
well as a new profession, inscription — for players to try out. The
expansion will include some additional character-customization options
for players as well. We’ll be going into more detail on all of these
features in the months ahead.

How will the death knight class fit into the game?

The death knight combines martial prowess with dark, necromantic

energies. Players might be familiar with the death knight from

previously released Warcraft games—most recently, in the campaigns

for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and the Frozen Throne expansion, the

former paladin Arthas became a death knight and wreaked havoc across

Azeroth and Northrend before fusing with the spirit of Ner’zhul to

become the Lich King. The death knight is the first hero class in World

of Warcraft; once certain criteria are met, players will unlock the

ability to create a new death knight character, which will begin play at

a high experience level. We’re currently exploring various options for

how the death knight will play and the types of abilities at its

disposal, and we’ll be revealing more information about this new class

as we get further along in development.

Will the death knight have any abilities from previously released

Warcraft games?

The way we portrayed death knights in past Warcraft games is certainly a

source of inspiration, but we are still determining how best to capture

that feel within the mechanics of World of Warcraft, and haven’t made

any final determinations on specific abilities.

What role will the death knight play in groups and raids?

In general terms, the death knight can be considered a type of class

that combines damage dealing and tanking, but naturally it will have an

array of unique abilities as well.

What races will be allowed to play death knights?

We haven’t yet made a final determination about which races can be death

knights. However, the class will be available to both the Alliance and

the Horde.

Will there be additional hero classes in the future?

Yes, we do intend to add more hero classes in the future, but right now

our focus is on the current expansion.

What is the story background of the expansion?

Players last visited Northrend in the Warcraft III expansion, when

Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner’zhul to become the Lich

King, one of the most powerful entities in the Warcraft universe. He now

broods atop the Frozen Throne, deep in Icecrown Citadel, clutching the

rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge.

In Wrath of the Lich King, the greatest champions of the Alliance and

the Horde will do battle with the Scourge amid Northrend’s howling winds

and fields of jagged ice, and ultimately face the Lich King himself.

Will players actually get to encounter Arthas himself?

Players will be skirmishing with the minions of Arthas from the moment

they set foot on Northrend. He will be a constant presence as players

progress through the expansion content—which will culminate in a

showdown with the dread Lich King himself.

Can you discuss some of the new talents and abilities that will be

available from level 70 to level 80?

As with character advancement up to level 70, players will gain access

to an array of potent and exciting new abilities and talents as they

make their way from level 70 to level 80. However, it’s still too early

to get into specifics on these.

How long will it take to advance from level 70 to level 80?

We were pleased with the pacing from level 60 to level 70 in The Burning

Crusade, and we intend to take a similar approach to pacing character

advancement in Wrath of the Lich King. However, the specific amount of

time that it will take players to reach level 80 will vary widely based

on play style.

What can you reveal about Northrend?

The first area of Northrend we’re showcasing is the Howling Fjord, a

region of grasslands overlooking massive cliffs at the southeastern edge

of the continent. This, along with the Borean Tundra, is the front line

of the war against Arthas, and players will come face to face with his

minions as soon as they set foot on Northrend. Eventually, as players

progress further, they will explore the Grizzly Hills, Dragonblight, and

more. We’ll be showing off some of these new areas in the months ahead.

What’s the level requirement to enter Northrend?

Players of any level who have purchased the expansion can visit

Northrend. However, all of the content is designed for players level 68

and up.

How many new dungeons will be in the expansion?

The first dungeon players will enter is Utgarde Keep, which is intended

for five players around level 70. Utgarde is inhabited by the Vrykul, a

Viking-like race bent on proving their strength to the Lich King, who

will raise the most worthy of their warriors to serve him beyond the

grave. We intend to provide a variety of dungeons comparable to that in

The Burning Crusade and will be revealing more details about some of

these in the months ahead.

Do you plan to continue with the 25-player model for raids?

Yes, we’ve been pleased with the tactics, intensity, and variety of the

25-player raid model, and plan to continue with it.

In what ways will players be able to further customize their characters

in the expansion?

In addition to the numerous new character-customization options that

will be available with all of the new weapons and armor added by the

expansion, we’ll be offering some fun ways to alter both existing and

new characters with regard to dances and hairstyles, but we’re not ready

to go into more detail just yet.

What can you reveal about the new profession coming with the expansion?

Inscription allows the player to permanently enhance their spells and

abilities and to create mysterious items of power to use, trade, and

sell.

What can players expect with regard to player-vs.-player combat in the

expansion?

Players will be able to take control of siege weapons and use them to

destroy opposing buildings, adding a new layer of complexity to PvP

battles. Naturally, we’ll be providing some fun places to put these new

tools to good use, and we’ll be revealing more information about them in

the months ahead, in addition to the new battleground content being

added.

Can you give a sneak peek at the new recipes and items in the expansion?

There will be hundreds of new recipes and thousands of new items

available, but we’re not ready to discuss specific examples just yet.

How many zones will be in the expansion?

Northrend will be roughly equivalent to Outland in terms of size and

scope.

Will there be any new cinematic scenes?

Yes, our cinematics department is hard at work preparing a new intro

movie for the expansion.

Release/Availability

Do you need to own the expansion to play with friends who have it?

There will be many aspects of the expansion that will be available to

all players. However, in order to experience certain content, such as

Northrend, or be able to play as a death knight, players must purchase

the expansion.

Will there be an open beta test of the expansion?

We have not yet determined whether the expansion will require an open

beta test. If we do decide to conduct a beta test, details will be

posted on the official World of Warcraft website once we’ve gotten

further along in the development process.

When will the expansion be released? How much will it cost?

We have not yet announced a release date for the expansion set. However,

we expect to announce further details, including the release date and

price, on our community website in the months ahead. Please stay tuned

to [link] for more information.

Will there be a collector’s edition?

We have not yet made any determination about whether there will be a

collector’s edition of Wrath of the Lich King. We’ll be announcing

details such as this closer to release.

Will a Mac version be available simultaneously with the PC version?

Yes. As with all of our games, Wrath of the Lich King will be compatible

with and optimized for both the Windows and Macintosh platforms.

What are the system requirements?

We’ll continue to ensure that the game is playable on a wide range of

hardware. However, we have not made a final determination on the system

requirements as yet.

Will the expansion be released globally at the same time?

We recognize that players throughout the world will be eager to

experience all of the new content being added with Wrath of the Lich

King, and we will make every effort to release the expansion

simultaneously worldwide. However, there’s always the possibility that

unforeseen circumstances could delay the launch in any given region.

We’ll share the launch timing with players in each region as soon as the

plans have been finalized.

What is the ESRB rating for the expansion?

The expansion has not yet been rated by the ESRB. However, we anticipate

that it will receive the same rating that the original World of Warcraft

received—“Teen.”