Q: What is the story background of the expansion?
A: 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.
Q: Will players actually get to encounter Arthas himself?
A: 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.
Q: Can you discuss some of the new talents and abilities that will be
available from level 70 to level 80?
A: 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.
alt="Howling Fjord" title="Howling Fjord" name="photo_j"
border="0" height="111" width="150">
Howling Fjord is the first area that Blizzard is
showcasing.
Q: How long will it take to advance from level 70 to level 80?
A: 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.
Q: What can you reveal about Northrend?
A: 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.
Q: What’s the level requirement to enter Northrend?
A: 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.
Q: How many new dungeons will be in the expansion?
A: 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.
Q: Do you plan to continue with the 25-player model for raids?
A: Yes. We’ve been pleased with the tactics, intensity, and
variety of the 25-player raid model, and plan to continue with it.
Q: Will the new dungeons have heroic versions?
A: Yes. We feel that the heroic versions of dungeons are a great way to
add another level of challenge and reward for experienced players, and
we intend to continue creating these variants.
alt="Howling Fjord looking from clift "
title="Howling Fjord looking from clift " name="photo_j"
border="0" height="111" width="150">
Another shot of Howling Fjord.
Q: In what ways will players be able to further customize their
characters in the expansion?
A: 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.
Q: What can you reveal about the new profession coming with the
expansion?
A: The Inscription profession will allow players to permanently enhance
their own spells and abilities and those of other players.
We’ll provide more specific details on the mechanics of this
new profession in the months ahead.
