Avian Gamers Network

Frankly, I was hoping for more in an expansion. New classes would have been more appreciated than races. But it's still early and probably a long way off.

Oh, and I also got to check out the expansion, which has no set release date, but I expect to see it before the end of next year. The presentation consisted almost entirely of concept art, but those who've played WoW will be able to get a good idea of what the polygonal version will look like. Burning Crusade opens up several new zones and two new races. The Horde gets Blood Elves, who are on that side because of their allegiance to the Undead, and Sylvanas in particular, the Undead leader who was formerly an elf. The Blood Elves are described as obsessed with magic, and the team says you definitely have mages, warlocks, and priests -- the caster classes -- and probably a warrior, but the last two slots are still being ironed out. They told us there would be no new classes, nor do they intend to introduce any for the foreseeable future, because of the balancing headaches. And we couldn't pry an update out of them regarding hero classes. However, they said there's pretty much no limit to the number of races they could introduce.

Burning Crusade also raises the level cap to 70, and I'm pleased to report that we won't just get upgrades of previous skills (Fireball 6, Greater Heal 9, and the like), but they wouldn't get into specifics just yet. But they did say that there would be new Talents as well, and a re-working of the trees to adjust some abilities that either aren't that useful or are situated in the wrong tier. (Talent restructuring is still an ongoing process for the live game -- they haven't put that on the back burner). You can also get a Nether Dragon flying mount at level 70, after a challenging and time-consuming quest, although you can only use it in the Outlands (formerly known as Draenor, the broken planet on the other side of the Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands). It won't move as fast as the existing airborne transportation, and you can't attack while mounted (nor can you on any other mounts), but the flying capability will allow you to reach some content that's impossible to access on foot.

The dev team also understands the possibility of people abandoning the current zones for the Outlands, when the expansion comes out, so they'll be introducing new raid dungeons in existing zones at the same time. One is in Deadwind Pass (situated between Darkshire and the Swamp of Sorrows), and it's rather enormous. Karazon Tower, Medivh's former home (the guy who opened the Dark Portal), is going to be geared towards a smaller 10-20 person raid group, with progressive instance points that will save your progress. This dungeon introduces some cool new artwork ideas and incorporates elements of the expansion, with an eye-popping reveal at the climax that ties things together nicely. I'll just say that you'll be impressed at the visuals they'll be pulling off at the end. There's also an Opera House, with the curtains getting pulled back to reveal a randomly chosen boss mob, and the disorienting Library, which looks influenced by the bizarre library in The Name of the Rose. There will also be a waypoint near the top for griffins, wyverns, and the like, so you won't have to trudge all the way up on your second time though.

Another dungeon will finally unlock the Caverns of Time in Tanaris, which was previously guarded by an elite dragon. And true to its name, the Caverns will introduce some decidedly cool elements that I've never really seen attempted before. (From this point on, spoilers abound, so be warned.) The Caverns differ significantly from any dungeon I've encountered before, because they actually take you to currently existing zones… as they appeared before the events in Warcraft III. You'll stumble into Hillsbrad Foothills, which already makes this dungeon colossal, so you'll get to visit Tarren Mill when it was still occupied by humans. The dev team envisions several scripted events that will be inside jokes for Warcraft fans, such as the mayors of Tarren Mill and Southshore meeting up and exchanging friendly words and promises of loyalty. This quest line leads up to a high-level raid where you rescue Thrall himself from the internment camp in Durnholde Keep (which is currently occupied by the Syndicate).

Another time-twisted zone in this dungeon is The Black Morass, which was divided into the Swamp of Sorrows and the Blasted Lands when the Dark Portal was opened. You'll actually witness Medivh opening the Portal, but you'll be unable to stop him. Blizzard plans to explain here why the event was inevitable. Lastly, you'll go into Hyjal, a wilderness raid zone, and fight Archimonde in a re-enactment of the last mission in Warcraft III, alongside the Orc and Human representatives. Like the other two, Hyjal is a huge zone, and you'll be fighting all the way up to the top of the mountain where the historic showdown takes place. And the expansion will introduce another Battleground, this time the Hellfire Peninsula from Warcraft II, and it will be geared towards levels 54-70.

Last but not least, Blizzard is introducing socketing items, like in Diablo II. They're still hammering out the details (can gems be removed, what would be the penalty, etc.), but there will be the Jewel Crafting profession, which will allow players to make necklaces and rings in addition to socket jewels.

But that's not all, kids. We also got a peek at the 1.9 patch, which will introduce no fewer than two raid dungeons in Silithus, one for about 20 people and another for 40. This patch will trigger a dynamic world event, where everyone can contribute resources to the war effort that will unlock Ahn'Qiraj, which has been closed for thousands of years. And from what I saw, it's definitely worth the effort, if only to gape at the scenery. I was already impressed with WoW's existing art direction, but this is truly some sweet stuff. The team has done some great things with scaling. You'll fight against some gigantic monsters in gigantic areas full of gigantic objects. Apparently, the mandate was "Make it bigger," and make it bigger they did. You'll get to see some all-new character models as well, including the towering Anubisath Guardian and the Qiraji Gladiator, both 60+ elites. Both of the new dungeons look like they'll take quite a while to go through -- I saw quite a few clusters and patrols of mixed mobs that won't be taken down easily.

In other news, Blizzard will finally introduce auction house linking. Each capital city will now have an auction house, and they're considering another system linking up the major Goblin towns. When I asked how this will affect enchanters (who don't have physical items to sell but must advertise in the chat channel), the team assured me that players will probably still pool in a couple areas like Orgrimmar and Stormwind. I'm not as optimistic, but I've learned not to doubt these guys. WoW has has its share of quirks and quibbles, but it's still a gas. Maybe the next patch will finally allow enchanters to sell items instead of services. Whatever the case, my time at Awesomeness HQ gave me an impression of a company staffed by down-to-earth, dedicated, experienced and talented people. I'd say the future of World of Warcraft looks good. Unfortunately, I have no info on when the beta phase will kick in, so keep your eyes peeled as we find out more about the expansion.

(the "damnit" is because my fiance, who is female, and a gamer, basically just told me 'cry more noob'. i dont know whether to jump with joy or to go cry because i got owned by a female gamer)

paying for WOW by month 14.99

Being pwned by a female gamer who is your soon-to-be-wife...priceless

/so sayeth a man who married a non-gamer

Woo hoo! another laptopper like me! Wow that sounded wierd just now...