We knew that Blizzard was going to be making a ton of changes to the game when the expansion pack was released. Now they reveal the structural changes in the way 10-man and 25-man raid content will be handled.
It looks like they're back at it again! Taverncraft, a subsidiary of 3 Point Entertainment, just announced that they have just added some new "Legendary Collection" Steins to their Hand-crafted Stein Lineup. Interestingly enough, Jeff Berkwits, the Marketing Manager of 3 Point Entertainment, notes that their new additions, the "Blood of the Horde" and "Alliance United" liimited collection steins, were created specifically due to consumer demand. Berkwits notes that once their first signed, limited edition Stein (Rise of the Lich King, with artwork by Alex Horley) sold out, Taverncraft was receiving hundreds of emails asking when the next limited edition stein would be out. In this way, the "Blood of the Horde" and the "Alliance United" steins were created specifically due to this response.
Remember, each of these steins comes with an artist signature and since there will only be 999 of each design, each sale also comes with a collectible gift box alongside a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
You can check out these neat steins and more at the Taverncraft website!
When World of Warcraft publisher Blizzard opened its Pet Store last November, it marked a significant change in the way the company does business with its customers. By selling a couple of new (and exclusive) vanity pets in its online store, Blizzard set a precedent; for the first time in the MMO's history, players could buy in-game content in exchange for "real" money. World of Warcraft had finally adopted the micro-transaction revenue model, which naturally raised the question, "What's next?"
Among other issues, that's one of the questions we tried to tackle in our news-editorial, "What's Next, Blizzard? Mounts and Gear For Cash?", published a few days after the announcement. At the time, we were being a tad facetious; player reaction was split, with opponents fearing that Blizzard would begin selling more than just vanity pets in the days to come. Ironically, some of those claims weren't too far off-base. As we reported last week, Blizzard added the new Celestial Steed mount to its merchandise, hitting yet another milestone.
The World of Warcraft Pet Store hast its first ever mount for sale, the Celestial Steed. This filly is composed of pure elemental star dust, but you may think it's composed of gold dust by its price tag of 25 bucks. Buying the flying mount will make it accessible to "all present and future characters on a single North American World of Warcraft license," and it can travel at 310% speed if you've already trained another mount to that level. So what will it be: dinner at The Olive Garden or a flying horse?
The Pet Store has also just received some cuter and cheaper ($10) companions. The pets are small, adorable versions of game bosses, namely the XT-002 Deconstructor and Kel'Thuzad, founder of the Cult of the Damned. Each pet helps you in battle, with XT stomping his feet to shock your enemies and KT freezing and laughing maniacally at them. They really are the cutest harbingers of destruction ever.
Blizzard had announced the Paladin changes would be unveiled last because of the complicated nature of the revamp when Cataclysm is released. The blues finally revealed them and there are some interesting mechanics modicifications.
Runes of Magic publisher Frogster recently announced that it will support same-sex marriages in its upcoming expansion, Chapter III: The Elder Kingdoms. [via VideoGamer.com] The news might seem surprising to many video game fans, considering the MMO industry's awkward past with the LGBT community and previous issues regarding same-sex relationships in-game. As VideoGamer.com mentions in its article, Runes of Magic is developed by Runewalker, a Taiwanese studio. Taiwan's governing body is the Republic of China, which doesn't recognize same-sex marriages...nor does the People's Republic of China, in which case a mainland Chinese development studio probably wouldn't have been able or willing to incorporate similar gameplay mechanics. The Beijing-based Perfect World Entertainment, for example, has received criticism of sexism and discrimination for related reasons (to read PWE's response to this issue, see our Rising Tide Q&A from last year).
The in-game marriage system is a new feature that will be introduced in Runes of Magic's upcoming expansion, which will also provide character bonuses, according to the VideoGamer.com article. "Of course you can only be married with one person at the same time," Frogster's Philipp Senkbeil told the Web site. "It's even possible to have gay couples, so no need to just have a male and female character. Two male characters and two female characters can marry each other." The upcoming MMO feature has drawn the attention of many LGBT video game communities, such as GayGamer.net, which praised Runewalker for "taking a step that many Western developers have been to scared to tackle." Considering that some of the most-successful and seemingly-liberal U.S.-based publishers have "looked the other way" in previous circumstances, many MMO fans might be inclined to agree.
High Tinker Mekkatorque is preparing for war, and he's recruiting every able-bodied citizen of Azeroth to join the upcoming battle. In the latest issue of Blizzard's Web-based "Azeroth Bulletin," Mekkatorque claims "Operation: Gnomeregan" is imminent, requesting assistance from all World of Warcraft players. The lore-inspired "news" post is related to the upcoming live event involving the Gnomeregan Exiles (the playable Gnome faction) which many fans speculate will result in the retaking of Gnomeregan, the original capital city of the Gnome race. The bulletin quotes Mekkatorque's call to arms:
"Every man, woman, and child is called to serve! Even if you're just barely getting your bearings on the art of combat in places like Kharanos or Elwynn Forest, you can do your part by helping fuel the war effort. A few dead boars leads to a few more comfortable siege pilot seats, and surely you can handle such a crucial step in the preparation for facing Thermaplugg's poisoned followers. You can even help master wordsmith Toby Zeigear in writing High Tinker Mekkatorque's battle cry. The road to success will be paved by you, and you'll be rewarded as such with a commendation of Gnomeregan Pride, allowing you to temporarily don the uniform of the elite Gnomeregan Infantry."
Mekkatorque's "announcement" seems to indicate that Alliance players of all levels will be able to participate in some capacity, although the actual battle will be staged by "veteran" players. "Only the most battle-hardened heroes of the Alliance (levels 75-80) will be called to serve during Operation: Gnomeregan," the bulletin reads. "When Mekkatorque determines the operation is ready to get underway, you must speak with him on the front lines before following him on a full assault of the enemy air field, surface command post, and into the tunnels of lower Gnomeregan." For the complete details, read the Azeroth Bulletin page, and stay tuned for more information in the weeks to come!
Several sources recently reported that Blizzard sent out an early round of email invitations for Cataclysm, World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion. Earlier this week, the editors at 1UP.com reported that they received a Cataclysm beta invitation email from Blizzard, indicating that the first round of Cataclysm's closed-beta testing phase is "starting to gear up," according to the article. This initial round of closed-beta invitations is being sent to select members of the video game/MMO press, according to the same article.
The news is corroborated by several other gaming and MMO media outlets. On the same day, GameInformer.com announced that it received a similar email, which indicated Blizzard "[does] not currently have a date to announce for the start of the beta test," but "opt-in" invitations are being accepted. The invitation notes that the Cataclysm closed-beta test won't be released with an NDA, according to GameInformer.
This news might indicate that Cataclysm's official launch will occur earlier in 2010 than the community originally expected, especially after the announcement that BlizzCon 2010 will be held in late-October this year. In addition, Blizzard's previous closed-beta testing for Wrath of the Lich King and The Burning Crusade began just a couple months prior to their respective release dates; if the past is any indication of Cataclysm's release schedule, we might be rolling up new Goblin and Worgen characters by the end of this summer. Stay tuned for more news as its announced!
First, the Shaman and Warlock, then the Priest and Warrior. Now the Rogue and Death Knight class changes have been revealed for the upcoming Cataclysm expansion pack for World of Warcraft.
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