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The following Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK) FAQ is designed to answer questions about the expansion. We have the questions answered in the below list and will constantly be updating it. If you don’t find an answer to a question you have you can submit your question to [email protected] or post in the forums. Any questions submitted may be answered by our staff and be selected to be posted here. You’re also free to submit questions and answers that you think we’re missing!

Oh, and be sure to check out our Wrath of the Lich King Portal for more answers to your questions!

General Questions

  • What is added to the game with the expansion?
  • What about PvP?
  • Anything else?
  • Come on, there has to be more than that!
  • What does the purchase of the expansion allow me to do?
  • Do I have to purchase the game to continue to play or even start playing?
  • Do I need to purchase World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade to play Wrath of the Lich King?
  • Is there a free trial?
  • What’s in the collector’s edition that I found at (insert store)?
  • Is the collector’s edition worth it?
  • Will my computer run the expansion? Do I need to upgrade?
  • Does the game come in a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM version?
  • What if I don’t have a DVD drive in my computer?

Northrend

  • What is “Northrend”?
  • How do I get to Northrend?
  • Where do I start in Northrend?
  • Do I have to be level 70 to start?
  • What is up with the new capital city of Dalaran? How do I get to it? The crystal won’t work!

Death Knights

  • How do I make a Death Knight? The option is grayed out!
  • Do I have to give up my current character to “ascend” into becoming a Death Knight?
  • Do I have to do a quest to make a Death Knight? Do I have to do anything other than be level 55?
  • Do I need the expansion to make a Death Knight?
  • What races can be Death Knights?
  • What race is best for a Death Knight? What professions are best?
  • What is up with the Ebon Hold and this starting area?
  • Do Death Knights get their own voice acting?

Player vs. Player

  • New battleground, Strand of the Ancients, what’s up with it?
  • World PvP – Wintergrasp… what is it and how do I get to it?
  • What bonuses are there for capturing the temple in Wintergrasp?
  • How do I hurly fiery death at the nasty Horde/snotty Alliance with siege weapons? Wait, what are siege weapons anyway?

Professions

  • Do I need WotLK for Inscription?
  • What’s the new profession skill cap?
  • What are the new materials I can gather in Northrend?

Quests, Dungeons, and Raids

  • How does raiding work now?
  • Is there attunement for certain instances?
  • Will I be locked out of a 10 man raid if I go into a 25 man raid or vice-versa?
  • Is reputation grinding any easier?
  • Does it matter which zone I start? Is one “better”?

Miscellaneous

  • What new mounts will be available?

 

General Questions

What is added to the game with the expansion?

WotLK contains content from level 70 to level 80 located on a content exclusive to the expansion. It contains a major city, Dalaran along with an expansion only class, The Death Knight.

What about PvP?

An open world non-instanced PvP zone known as Lake Wintergrasp offers massive battles between tons of players while Strands of the Ancients is a WotLK exclusive battleground. There are now siege weapons available for us.

Anything else?

WotLK also brings along patch “3.0” which introduces the profession Inscription to all players along with the Barber Shop. There are also more dances, a graphics upgrade, and new talents.

Come on, there has to be more than that!

There is! New technology added into the game allows for new items that grow as a player levels up (their stats reflect a player’s level) and a new “phasing” system that allows to the world to dynamically change in front of a player’s eye. For instance, one city will start captured by enemy forces but once the player completes a quest chain the city will be under friendly control.

What does the purchase of the expansion allow me to do?

It allows you to gain XP past level 70, enter into the expansion only areas, and raise your tradeskills past the level 70 caps. It also allows you to make a Death Knight. A lot of future patch content is also focused purely on the expansions.

Do I have to purchase the game to continue to play or even start playing?

Just like “The Burning Crusade”, there is no need to purchase the expansion if you do not want to. The majority of the players will have the expansion and be involved with expansion content leaving those without it stuck at level 70. If you have yet to start playing then there is little or no reason to pick it up unless it’s part of a bundle. You won’t need the expansion until level 55 (if you want to create a Death Knight) or level 70 (if you want to continue onward past level 70).

Do I need to purchase World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade to play Wrath of the Lich King?

Yes, you must have both the original game and the first expansion in order to play WotLK.

Is there a free trial?

Trials are often promotional offers that last for a set amount of time. Check WorldofWarcraft.com to see if there is an ongoing trial.

What’s in the collector’s edition that I found at (insert store)?

You’ll get some cards for the card game, a soundtrack CD, a dvd with commentary from the developers, an art book, a non-combat pet (Frosty the baby frost wrym), a mouse pad, and a few other neat things. You’ll also get the expansion of course.

Is the collector’s edition worth it?

Depends on if you want the pet and the bonus items contained within. Collector’s editions are also limited run, so it’s generally a good idea to get it if you’re planning on regretting it in the future.

Will my computer run the expansion? Do I need to upgrade?

Most computers that currently run the original game will be able to easily run the expansion. If your computer is dated and is running the original game very poorly then you may want to upgrade to get the most out of the expansion.

Does the game come in a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM version?

Both editions (standard and collector’s) come in DVD format.

What if I don’t have a DVD drive in my computer?

Check to see if you can download it from Blizzard’s website. Most modern computers in the last five years generally have DVD drives so this should be a non-issue for most.

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Northrend

What is “Northrend”?

Northrend is an expansion only continent located in the northern areas of Azeroth. It contains many new instances, new content for levels 70-80, and most of the expansion only features.

How do I get to Northrend?

You can get to the Howling Fjord via Menethil Harbor for Alliance and a zeppelin outside of the Undercity for Horde. You can get to Borean Tundra via a boat from Stormwind Harbor and by a zeppelin outside of Orgrimmar. You will need the expansion to zone into Northrend.

Where do I start in Northrend?

You are given two options on where to begin your adventure. You can either start in the Howling Fjord or Borean Tundra. They are both level 70 zones that lead into level 71-72 zones. It is up to you on where you want to start. Once you begin in either zone you will automatically be lead through the rest of the game via quests.

Do I have to be level 70 to start?

Much like in Outland you can start at level 68 if you want. It is highly advised against since Outland can easily take you to level 70 and you will not have to fight higher level enemies. Think about it this way. You can go to Northrend with a dingy stick in your hand at level 68 poking enemies to death or with a giant war axe ripping them apart.

What is up with the new capital city of Dalaran? How do I get to it? The crystal won’t work!

There a magical teleportation crystal within Crystalsong Forest located at the Violet Strand. It can be utilized only by those who are level 70 or higher and attuned to Dalaran. Mages can attune themselves at level 71 with the quest “Attunment to Dalaran”. Everyone else can attune themselves at level 74 with the quest “The Magical Kingdom of Dalaran” and follow up with “Learning to Leave and Return: the Magical Way”. If you are teleported or summoned to Dalaran and at least level 70 then you can also learn the later quest.

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Death Knights

Looking for Death Knight info? Our Death Knight Class Guide has all of the info you need.

How do I make a Death Knight? The option is grayed out!

Death Knights are “unlocked” after reaching level 55. Once you’ve reached level 55 the option to create a Death Knight will be available.

Do I have to give up my current character to “ascend” into becoming a Death Knight?

NO. That was just thoughts way back in WoW’s infancy on how to deal with hero classes. You will keep all of your characters. Your Death Knight will be just another “new” character.

Do I have to do a quest to make a Death Knight? Do I have to do anything other than be level 55?

No. That’s it, simply, no. Just reach level 55.

Do I need the expansion to make a Death Knight?

Yes. Yes you do.

What races can be Death Knights?

Every race can become a Death Knight.

What race is best for a Death Knight? What professions are best?

Look at our Death Knight guide for answers to those questions and more.

What is up with the Ebon Hold and this starting area?

Death Knights must go through a series of quests to gain their second set of gear, gain their talent points, and be introduced to the world. Our Death Knight guide has a walkthrough of the starting area to get you through it as fast as possible.

Do Death Knights get their own voice acting?

Yes and no. They’re modified to sound way cooler.

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Player vs. Player

Check out our Wrath of the Lich King PvP Portal that contains guides on the new PvP additions to WotLK..

New battleground, what’s up with it?

Strand of the Ancients is a battleground for those who have the WotLK expansion pack. It’s essentially an invasion type battleground where team one attacks and team two defends. Many fans of FPS games will find it to be very familiar. We’ve got a full guide on this battleground that goes into most of the details about it.

World PvP – Wintergrasp… what is it and how do I get to it?

Lake Wintergrasp is an open world PvP zone that flags everyone into PvP even if it’s a PvE server. Two sides fight for a base. One side defends and the other side is the attacker (Horde vs. Alliance). Fights are timed and there is downtime when there are no fights going on and it’s just open world PvP free for all. We have a guide that goes into full details about this open world PvP area.

You can only access it through a flying mount. Once you’re inside you’ll be dismounted and forced to parachute down.

What bonuses are there for capturing the temple in Wintergrasp?

Ability to get drops from instances to be turned in for loot, a special instance, and daily quests.

How do I hurly fiery death at the nasty Horde/snotty Alliance with siege weapons? Wait, what are siege weapons anyway?

Siege Weapons are a new addition in WotLK and range from stationary defense turrets to mobile vehicles. They have special attacks that can shred through the opposing forces or certain objectives (like doors). We have a guide that will answer any of your questions about them.

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Professions

Do I need WotLK for Inscription?

No, but you need WotLK to reach 450 skill in Inscription.

What’s the new profession skill cap?

450

What are the new materials I can gather in Northrend?

Cobalt, Saronite, and Titanium Ore for metals. Tiger Lily, Talandra’s Rose, Goldclover, Deadnettle, Adder’s Tongue, Lichbloom, Icethorn, and Frost Lotus for herbs. Frostweave Cloth for cloth. Savagehide Leather for leather.

Quests, Dungeons and Raids

Looking for an instance guide? Check out our WotLK Instance Portal where all of our WotLK instance guides are at.

How does raiding work now?

10 and 25 man raids are the same instance much like regular instances and heroics are the same. The 10 man raids are designed to be easier and less time consuming than the 25 man versions which are more difficult. There is higher quality and better loot in the 25 man raids than the 10 man raids to reward the difficulty of getting 25 players together and managing them.

Is there attunement for certain instances?

There may be item requirements for some instances to start an encounter, but there will be no attunements required.

Will I be locked out of a 10 man raid if I go into a 25 man raid or vice-versa?

No. You can run both instances at the same time.

Is reputation grinding any easier?

Yep! Some factions will sell you tabards that you can wear to gain reputation with them in any instances. It’ll open up some more options for grinding reputation with those factions so you don’t feel so stuck.

Does it matter which zone I start? Is one “better”?

No, Howling Fjord and Borean Tundra are the same in regards to quality.

Miscellaneous

What new mounts will be available?

Mammoths, Bears, flying carpets, and more are available. Some mounts act as siege engines and allow more than one player to ride on them.

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To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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Get in the bush with David "Xerin" Piner as he leverages his spectacular insanity to ask the serious questions such as is Master Yi and Illidan the same person? What's for dinner? What are ways to elevate your gaming experience? David's column, Respawn, is updated near daily with some of the coolest things you'll read online, while David tackles ways to improve the game experience across the board with various hype guides to cool games.

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