World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
WotLK box art
Developer(s)	Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Activision Blizzard
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release	November 13, 2008
Latest release	3.0.3
Genre(s)	MMORPG

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, aka WLK, (colloquially known as "WotLK" or "Wrath") is the second World of Warcraft expansion and was officially announced on August 3, 2007 at BlizzCon. The majority of the expansion content takes place in Northrend and centers around the plans of the Lich King.

Content highlights include the increase of the level cap from 70 to 80, the introduction of the Death Knight Hero class, and new PvP/World PvP content. No additional playable races have been added, though many new NPC races will be featured.

Opt-ins for the public beta began on July 3rd, 2008; the beta began on July 17th. On October 10th, Blizzard announced that Wrath of the Lich King has gone gold and discs are currently being manufactured for sale; the game itself was released to the public on November 13, 2008. For the first time, the normal version of the game (as opposed to the Collector's Edition) is installable through one single DVD disc.

Lore

From the official site:

For years, the heroes of the Alliance and Horde have fought against the evils in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, against the demons of the Burning Legion in Outland, and against each other -- all the while unaware that a threat more dangerous than any they had yet encountered was preparing to make its move in the icy continent of Northrend. Now the Lich King, Arthas Menethil, has emerged from Icecrown Citadel to claim the world as his own. Heroes of the Alliance and Horde gather in Northrend to make a stand against the malevolent being that dares to declare himself Azeroth's one true king... and seeks to scour all life from the world.

Northrend

Main article: Northrend

Map of Northrend in the Beta

Layout map of initially planned zones in Northrend

Classical map of Northrend. The differences are clearly visible.

The expansion introduces a new continent on Azeroth — the harsh, icy Northrend is under the control of the Lich King, and is home to the majority of the expansion's new content.

Northrend is a croissant-shaped continent in northern Azeroth. The continent is roughly half the size of the Eastern Kingdoms, but is expected to exceed Outland in length and width. Although Northrend is known for its snow and ice, developers stated that parts of the continent will not be frozen over, such as the springtime Howling Fjord and the jungle-like Sholazar Basin.

Flying mounts will also be usable in Northrend; currently the plan is to allow players to fly at level 77 instead of at 70. Blizzard said they want to "keep us grounded and guide us on foot for a while", so that players can enjoy all the hard work they put into the land and not just "fly over it." There may be new flying mounts introduced with the expansion that will provide a very slight increase in speed and the newly introduced Mammoth mounts are able to carry more than just one passenger.

Zones

To alleviate some of the problems experienced at the launch of the Burning Crusade expansion, players will be able to choose where to enter the continent more freely—both Howling Fjord to the east and the Borean Tundra to the west feature level 68+ content, and it is planned that you can level all the way to 72 without visiting both. The continent is designed to allow players to level from level 68 to 80. Both zones will feature a Hellfire Citadel-style instance hub with multiple dungeon wings for level 70 characters, level 80 characters, and raiders. Horde players will access Howling Fjord via a Zeppelin from Undercity to Vengeance Landing; Alliance players can get there by boat to Valgarde from Menethil Harbor. Borean Tundra will be accessed via zeppelin to Warsong Hold for Horde, and by boat to Valiance Keep from Stormwind City for Alliance. Zones and their planned levels:

• Howling Fjord (68-72)
• Borean Tundra (68-72)
• The Dragonblight (71-75)
• Zul'Drak (73-76)
• Grizzly Hills (74-76)
• Sholazar Basin (75-78)
• Crystalsong Forest (77-80)
• The Storm Peaks (77-80)
• Icecrown Glacier (77-80)
• Lake Wintergrasp (77-80) (Outdoor PvP)
• Dalaran (Sanctuary)

Areas in Azeroth

Acherus: The Ebon Hold and the Scarlet Enclave

A new area in the easternmost parts of the Eastern Plaguelands, near Tyr's Hand, which will act as the starting area for Death Knights.

Stormwind Harbor

Western Stormwind City will have a new harbor added which will provide naval transport to Northrend.

Dalaran Crater

An enormous crater where Dalaran once stood, encased with a violet-colored magical shield orb.

Shaper's Terrace

A new titan-related area in Un'Goro Crater, accessible by waygate from Sholazar Basin.

Factions and organizations

Various organizations, factions and new races will be highlighted in the expansion. Note that no new playable races are planned.

Reputation grinding

A new faction tabard system will be implemented called "Championing" where wearing a tabard of a certain faction will give you rep with that faction for kills in instances on top of the existing faction rep. This is to combat the feeling that gaining rep with factions is a long grind and that there is no flexibility for players to choose which factions they gain rep with.

Nexus War

When Malygos regained his senses, he quickly realized what had happened during his absence. The mortal races had manipulated magic and used it for their own personal gain. As a result, the Burning Legion had nearly been summoned again by the reckless Kael'thas Sunstrider and his felblood elves. Confident that there is no other solution, Malygos has declared war to every spell-caster and wishes to annihilate their kind and drain all of Azeroth's magic. However, there are groups that oppose him and fight for their own survival or for that of others.

Kirin Tor

The Kirin Tor - a group of powerful wizards - have moved their capital Dalaran to Northrend to fight off the Blue Dragonflight, along with the Undead Scourge. Being fanatic magic-users, they are directly influenced by the war Malygos has begun. Not only does he slowly drain all Azeroth's magic, but he also intends to slay all casters. The Kirin Tor oppose him directly in his assault and fight for the fate of their world.

Blue Dragonflight

The Aspect of Magic and the leader of the Blue Dragonflight - Malygos - has started a war with the mortal races for their reckless use of magic. Using his flight, Malygos now seeks to divert Azeroth's ley lines to his own home, the Nexus, by the use of giant constructs known as Surge needles, and send the energies out in the Twisting Nether, so no one will be able to use it anymore. He has not only ordered his fellow Blue dragons to slay the mortal spellcasters but also to take down all that would help these 'criminals'.

Wyrmrest Accord

As the overseers of Life on Azeroth, the Red Dragonflight closely watches all wars and observes all conflicts. While they usually do not interfere they now deem it necessary to enter the front lines themselves. Malygos's plan, to remove all magic from Azeroth, would have disastrous consequences for the entire world. Such catastrophies would cost countless lives, much more than all those that have fallen during the Nexus War. Thus Alexstrasza - the leader of the Red Dragonflight - has called upon the Wyrmrest Accord, a union between all Dragonflights to find a way to end Malygos's insanity and stop his reckless crusade.

Horde Expedition

Horde Expedition is the combined force of the Horde in Northrend, spearheaded by the Warsong Offensive. Below you can find all the factions associated with this expedition.

Warsong Offensive

Garrosh Hellscream commands the Horde's main expeditionary forces as they make their way into Northrend to face Arthas and the armies of the Scourge.

The Hand of Vengeance

The Forsaken tasked by Sylvanas Windrunner with enacting Undercity's vengeance against Arthas by delivering the latest strain of their deadly Plague.

The Taunka

These hardy people are cousins of the Tauren and have become valuable scouts for the armies of the Horde as they march northward.

The Sunreavers

Traditionally barred from Dalaran, the Horde has been accepted into the city through the efforts of Archmage Aethas Sunreaver. His followers have taken up his name and watch over the ward known as Sunreaver's Sanctuary.

Alliance Vanguard

Provoked by the attack on Stormwind, the Alliance has gathered its forces to march upon Icecrown Citadel and put an end to the Lich King's reign. Below you can find all factions associated with this vanguard.

Valiance Expedition

The main armies of the Alliance have arrived upon the shores of Borean Tundra, where they reinforced Valiance Keep with their sheer numbers.

Explorer's League

Eager to find out more about their past, the Explorer's League was quick to travel to Northrend. They're especially interested in the Titan city of Ulduar which is said to hold much information about the ancestors of the Dwarves, Gnomes, and Humans alike. In addition, they've opened up several dig-sites in an attempt to reveal what's hidden in the earth.

Frostborn

The Frostborn are a faction of a newly discovered dwarf, the frost dwarves. This mysterious race of dwarves makes its home in the Storm Peaks. They've recently befriended members of the Explorer's League and welcome Alliance members within their settlements. Their leader Yorg Stormheart seems to suffer from a strange amnesia; it is rumored that he used to be an important member within the Alliance.

Silver Covenant

Disgusted and outraged by the founding of the Blood Elven race, the remaining High Elves have united under the banner of Vereesa Windrunner as the Silver Covenant. The Covenant consists primarily of a militant core that has joined forces with the Alliance in Northrend.

Undead Scourge

Dragonflayer Clan

The Dragonflayer Clan is one that consists of Vrykul, a race of half-giant warriors native to the Howling Fjord. They have recently allied themselves with the Scourge and wish to join its ranks. These formidable warriors have begun attacking Horde and Alliance settlements, and many of the Vrykul are pouring out of the fortress of Utgarde Keep.

Opposition of the Scourge

Argent Crusade

The Knights of the Silver Hand and the soldiers of the Argent Dawn have merged into this new organization, headed by the re-inspired Highlord Tirion Fordring. They seem to be capable of something neither the Alliance nor the Horde could fulfill; they're fighting at the front lines of Icecrown.

Knights of the Ebon Blade

A counter to the Knights of the Silver Hand, the Knights of the Ebon Blade are an order of renegade Death Knights who have broken away from the Scourge. They are led by Highlord Darion Mograine, the son of Alexandros Mograine.

The Nerubians

A race of Spider-humanoids that once controlled all of Northrend before the coming of the Lich King. Now, they live mainly in the lower reaches of their destroyed kingdom Azjol-Nerub and other scattered conclaves. It is speculated that they serve the Old God, Yogg-Saron, within their city.

Natural inhabitants

Kalu'ak

The Kalu'ak consists of the Tuskarr, a humanoid walrus people that lives in Northrend. Although seen throughout Northrend, they make their homes primarily in the Borean Tundra. Their capital city is Kaskala and it is a Fishing area. They also have Kamagua, a settlement in the Howling Fjord. Moa’ki Harbor is situated in The Dragonblight.

Dungeons and end-game content

The Azeroth world map with Northrend added

The expansion adds group content in a similar fashion to the Burning Crusade, and the 'heroic dungeon' format will be preserved. Many new 5-man, 10-man, and 25-man dungeons will be located in Northrend. The expansion will have as many 5-man instances as the previous expansion and all 25-man raids can also be completed as a 10-man group due to the popularity of Karazhan. Despite speculation, solo dungeons are not being planned. Eyonix has spoken about the possibility of account-based or guild-based raid attunements for the expansion. This would mean if your guild completed the keying quest or one of your characters has, everyone in your guild or all the characters in your account would also become attuned.

There will be three raid dungeons and twelve 5-man dungeons (eight for leveling up and four max-level, each with heroic versions) at release. Heroic access will also no longer require any faction reputation. All 5-man dungeons will be designed to last around an hour.

New and original

Utgarde Keep (two 5-man wings, levels 70-72 and 80)

An instance hub in the Howling Fjord filled with the vrykul, a Viking-like race devoted to serving the Lich King. It was the first dungeon introduced at BlizzCon; the dungeon consists of two wings.

The first wing, Utgarde Keep (level 70), was playable at BlizzCon.

The second, Utgarde Pinnacle (level 80), was announced as the second.

The Nexus (two 5-man wings, levels 71-73 and 80, and a 10/25-man raid wing)

Located in Coldarra, it will feature the Blue Dragonflight as the enemy. The Red Dragonflight will be aiding the players.

A level 71-73 five-man instance (The Nexus).

A level 80 five-man instance, that lets you fight on magical rings that float above the ground (The Oculus).

A 10/25-man raid, similar to Onyxia. A rift in the sky where you will battle Malygos (The Eye of Eternity).

Drak'Tharon Keep (5-man, level 74-76)

A fort where Arthas found the runeblade Frostmourne, located on the border between Grizzly Hills and Zul'Drak. Drak'Tharon Keep contains one instance for level 74-76 players.

Gundrak (5-man level 76-78)

The capital of the Ice Trolls where players will face off against the Ice Troll King, located in the northeastern corner of Zul'Drak.

The Violet Hold (5-man level 75-77)

The prison of Dalaran.

Chamber of the Aspects (10/25-man raid)

A single encounter raid instance where players will face-off against a dragon.

Ulduar (two 5-man wings, levels 77-79 and 80, and a 10/25-man raid wing)

Located in The Storm Peaks. A Titan-related dungeon where secrets of Azeroth's history will be revealed.

• Halls of Stone, a level 77-79 instance
• Halls of Lightning, a level 80 instance
• Ulduar Raid, a 10/25-raid.

Azjol-Nerub (two wings level 72-74, level 73-75)

The ancient subterranean kingdom of the nerubian race.

• Azjol-Nerub, a level 72-74 instance with Anub'arak as a boss.
• Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom

Icecrown Citadel (10/25-man raid)

Culminating the expansion with a direct confrontation with the Lich King himself. Is to be released in the final major patch of the expansion pack.

Returning, but in another form

Naxxramas (level 80, 10 and 25-man raid)

The instance will be retuned to level 80 and included as a 10-man/25-man dungeon at an entry-level difficulty with no attunement.

If one looks at the video on the area of Dragonblight, it seems Naxxramas is floating above the frozen landscape.

Additions to Azeroth

Caverns of Time: Culling of Stratholme (level 80, 5-man instance)

A new wing of the Caverns of Time where you'll fight alongside Arthas, during the break of his sanity, against Mal'Ganis to purge the city of Stratholme of its citizens, who are infected by the undead plague. The Infinite Dragonflight storyline will continue here.

PvP additions

Battlegrounds

The currently planned battleground referred to as the Strand of the Ancients will have siege vehicles, 10 or 15 people in each team, and games will last 30 to 40 minutes.^{[citation needed]} 

The issue with battlegrounds starting with unbalanced teams, caused by multiple queueing and the grace period for joining, will be addressed. The reporting system is also being further tuned to allow players to better police abuse of the PvP to gain easy marks of honor.^{[citation needed]} 

Arenas

Two new Arenas will also be introduced in the expansion. One in the currently unused Orgrimmar Arena and the other in a new Dalaran Arena in Dalaran's sewers. These arenas will introduce moving objects such as pillars and waterfalls, and damaging objects such as spikes in arenas and other such mechanics to create dynamics with line of sight and gameplay.

World PvP

PvP mechanics will be extended in WotLK, with the addition of a dedicated PvP zone (even on PvE servers) in central Northrend called Lake Wintergrasp. There is no requirement to visit the zone, but the benefit will be that all bosses in instances will drop a token, similar to Spirit Shards in Bone Wastes, when your faction holds the keep everyone is fighting for. Players will be able to use these tokens to purchase gear.

Siege Weapons

The expansion will also introduce siege weapons, destructible buildings to PvP in both Lake Wintergrasp and the new Northrend Battleground(s).

Hero Classes

Main article: Hero class

The expansion will introduce the long-awaited concept of Hero Classes to World of Warcraft. It is planned that the Death Knight (see below) will be the first of several "unlockable" hero classes, the only one available at launch, though no definite plans have been revealed. Hero classes will generally consist of classes from Warcraft III that were too strong to play from level 1 or could not fit a primary class role.

Nethaera posted on the new Wrath of the Lich King forums that the current plans are one new hero class per expansion pack.

Death Knight

A Death Knight, seen in the WotLK trailer

Main article: Death knight

World of Warcraft's first hero class, the Death Knight will be accessible to players after having a character reach level 55. Once unlocked, the Death Knight will then complete a series of quests that will explain their defection and background. The Death Knight will start at level 55.

The Death Knight is a plate-wearing DPS/tank class (albeit one that is unable to use a shield) that uses a brand new resource system based primarily on cooldowns. Rather than the existing Mana/Rage/Energy mechanics, the Death Knight will be able to carve Runes into his/her weapon outside of combat, and then use those runes to power abilities (the recharge rate is at 10 seconds, for now).

Bard (April Fool's Joke)

Main article: Bard (hero class)

Armed with a trusty axe, killer riffs, and a ton of attitude, the guitar-wielding bard excels both as a solo performer and as part of a solid group lineup, able to front in roles as varied as his musical repertoire.

The Bard class was touted as an April Fool's day Hero class for WotLK. The link for the class may be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath/features/bard/bardclass.xml.

Professions and skills

Professions will be allowed to level to 450 skill points from the Burning Crusade's 375 skillcap, while leveling professions from 300-375 will be made easier.

Developers consider a possibility to make enchanters able to sell their enchants in the Auction House. This has since been confirmed, with Inscription providing the reagent that makes it possible.

Blizzard is planning to have more professions represented with rare recipe drops as well as making them accessible, such as being on earlier bosses.^{[citation needed]} 

Gem List for Wrath

Northrend gems --> Comprehensive list of Gems released for

Bestiary

New monsters have been announced in the official  Wrath of the Lich King Bestiary .

• Nerubian vizier
• Plague Eruptor
• Shovel tusk
• Iron Dwarf
• Taunka
• Magnataur
• Jormungar
• Flesh giant
• Darkfallen
• Ice Troll
• Proto-dragon
• Wendigo

Characters

Levels, spells and talents

The expansion will allow characters to level to 80, adding 10 additional talent points to their disposal and extending the talent trees further to allow for 51-point talents. Leveling from 70 to 80 should take the same amount of time as leveling 60 to 70. Blizzard is also working on a new method of allowing players to switch between 2 different talent specs.

Extended character customization

Players are also able to change hairstyles of existing characters using barber shops. However, players will not be allowed to change their characters' body shape or size. As of December 10, 2008, you are able to re-customize your Characters' facial attributes and gender for a small fee at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml

Dances

A dance studio is being worked on to allow players to add and change dance animations. This will not be featured on release; however, it will most likely be released in one of the future content patches for WotLK.

Voice Emotes

Death Knight voices will be modulated for each race so that they sound deeper and have an echo.

Items

• Blizzard is considering introducing Heirloom Items (sometimes referred to as Legacy Items) with the expansion. Essentially, these items will be bound to the player's account, with the ability to ship the items between characters on the realm the item was discovered.
  • The color for heirloom items used is gold, very similar as seen to the one in Diablo II: Legacy. Heirloom items are still not the same as artifact items, even if they (for now) use the same coloring for names.

• PvP armor will be different from the PvE armor entirely in looks and colors.

• 25-man raids will drop more loot than 10-man versions and be separated a full tier of item stats.

• The token system will remain for PvE. Stone Keeper's Shards will be awarded from all instances to players in the faction that controls Wintergrasp. They will be used to purchase heirlooms, mounts, Jewelcrafting designs, gems, shoulder enchants and mounts.

• Blizzard is making a design shift to reduce the number of items they must design and to prevent unwanted drops being wasted, with the end result being that more classes will use the same items. This will be accomplished by reducing the amount of varied stats different classes and specs need. Their aim is to have 3 classes share the same items.

• Blizzard announced on the official Wrath of the Lich King forums that a convenient upgrade will be made that changes how vanity/miniature pets and mounts are handled.

Quoted from official WotLK forums :

"We’re pleased to announce a convenient upgrade to the way that mounts and vanity pets are handled in Wrath of the Lich King.

Players will be able to “learn” a mount or non-combat pet much like learning a spell, recipe, or new ability, and these creatures will then show up on a new Pet tab within the Character Info section of the interface. Players will be able to access and preview their learned mounts and vanity pets through this tab.

Once learned, the pet icon or mount icon will no longer appear in bag spaces or bank spaces. This inventory space will be made available once again for other adventuring needs. Pets can still be set to hotkeys by dragging them to the hotkey bar, much like any other spell or ability." - Nethaera''

Mounts

In the expansion, mounts no longer take up space in your bag; they can be retrieved from the pet tab. Lost mounts and pets can be restored from a stable master.

Here is a listing of the new mounts:

• [Ice Mammoth] and [Grand Ice Mammoth] are available to purchase when you have Revered and Exalted reputation with the Sons of Hodir faction.
• [Black War Mammoth] wooly mammoth mount can be purchased in Wintergrasp for 300 [Stone Keeper's Shard]s.
• [Reins of the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth] and [Armored Brown Bear] vanity mount for sale from the exotic pet vendor Mei Francis in Dalaran for 20000 and 900 respectively, although the price is reduced with reputation. Note that the caravan mammoth reads "This is a very fast three person mount that carries vendors."
• [Flying Carpet] and [Swift Flying Carpet] Tailoring mounts can be crafted with 380 and 420 tailoring respectively.
• Acherus Deathcharger, the Deathknight class mount

Technical information

The expansion is expected to enhance World of Warcraft's graphical engine; for example, a new shading system is expected for use in ice caves, whilst flame animations are noticeably more detailed. Blizzard is in the process of reevaluating the way distances, line of sight and collision are calculated to address some bugs and exploits with spells and add improved mechanics; however, this may not all be completed in time for release. In addition, the art for the expansion will look more like "classic Warcraft" (gothic fantasy), and less like Outland art (high fantasy).

Blizzard is also looking at improvements to the engine to better handle the impact of large amounts of players in one area in anticipation of Lake Wintergrasp. A suggested solution is for the area around the player that receives updates (can see, events received etc.) will be dynamically reduced based on the amount of players in an area to lessen the impact on the client (though this also reduces the impact on the servers too).

System requirements

From the official site:

Minimum requirements:

Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)

• Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+
• 512 MB RAM (1GB for Vista users)
• 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 32 MB VRAM such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or better
• DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability
• 15 GB free hard drive space
• A keyboard and mouse are required. Input devices other than a mouse and keyboard are not supported.
• You must have an active broadband Internet connection to play

Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer

• PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz or Intel Core Duo processor
• 1 GB RAM
• 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 64 MB VRAM such as an ATI Radeon 9600 or NVIDIA GeForce Ti 4600 class card or better
• 15 GB free hard drive space
• A keyboard and mouse are required. Input devices other than a mouse and keyboard are not supported.
• You must have an active broadband Internet connection to play.

Note: Due to potential programming changes, the Minimum System Requirements for this game may change over time.

Recommended Specifications

Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)

• Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2
• 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista users)
• 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT class card or better
• DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability
• Broadband Internet connection.
• Multi-button mouse with scroll wheel recommended.

Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer

• Intel 1.8GHz processor or better
• 2 GB RAM
• 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA 7600 class card or better
• Multi-button mouse with scroll wheel recommended.

Gameplay features

Spectators

The ability to spectate arenas is still on the Blizzard to-do list, but they are being careful about it. Blizzard would also like to add this ability to raids too. In both cases it would be an opt-in feature only.

These are directly from the site.

Paradigm shift: Dungeons and raids

Heroic dungeons were one of the most popular innovations of the previous expansion, so it’s no surprise Heroic mode will return in Wrath of the Lich King. Just as in The Burning Crusade, every five-person dungeon will have a Heroic variant that will present players with an added challenge and improved rewards.

One exciting new feature in Wrath of the Lich King is that all raid content will be available as either a 10- or 25-person dungeon with completely independent progression paths. Both the 10- and 25-person versions will be the same dungeon; the look, layout, and design of the dungeon will remain the same. However, each will be adjusted, tuned, and balanced for its respective player size.

In Wrath of the Lich King, players can expect both 10- and 25-person raid progression paths to get increasingly difficult as they adventure to their final battle with Arthas. This new gameplay mechanic will allow more players to enjoy the raid content of Wrath of the Lich King in their preferred play style. Because it takes more effort to get 25 people together than it does for 10, players who participate in the 25-person raid progression path will receive higher quality and more loot than those who play the 10-person versions.

In addition, players will never be required to attune in a 10-person raid to progress to a 25-person raid in the progression path. Raid lockouts are same-size as well, so joining a 25-person raid for a dungeon will not lock a player out from the 10-person version of the same dungeon. This freedom of choice between raid-progression paths will let personal preference play a much bigger role in how players experience the raid content of Wrath of the Lich King.

Quest mechanics

The quest designers are hard at work to make sure that the road to level 80 will be paved with quests unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. The Burning Crusade innovated with bombing runs and daily quests, and Wrath of the Lich King will continue this trend with still more unique and varied adventures to undertake.

Just one example of the new mechanics you can expect from the expansion is the new vehicle-based content, which puts an interesting spin on some of the concepts originally developed for PvP siege gameplay. Certain types of vehicles and mounts can now carry passengers, making it possible for players, for example, to break a prisoner out of a tightly guarded compound by attempting a daring escape on horseback. While the NPC steers the horse, the player lobs explosives at a pack of pursuing worgen. In another quest, the roles are reversed as the player takes to the skies in a flying machine to track down and rescue survivors of a catastrophic event. Even beyond the ability for vehicles to hold passengers, Wrath of the Lich King introduces an aerial combat system that will add a new dimension to gameplay.

NPCs can also ride upon the shoulders of larger NPCs, such as Excelsior on Hidalgo the Master Falconer, or Grand Necrolord Antiok on Thiassi the Lightning Bringer.

Achievements

The Achievement system is a system that will keep track of certain goals that characters have reached, such as complete zone exploration, pet and mount collecting, and PvP kills.

Materials

New Metals gathered in Northrend

• [Cobalt Ore]
• [Saronite Ore]
• [Titanium Ore]

New Herbs gathered in Northrend

• [Tiger Lily]
• [Talandra's Rose]
• [Goldclover]
• [Deadnettle]
• [Adder's Tongue]
• [Lichbloom]
• [Icethorn]
• [Frost Lotus]

New Cloth gathered in Northrend

• [Frostweave Cloth]

Screenshots

Below are a variety of screenshots from the expansion. Many more can be found on relevant articles.

• WOTLKLoginScreen.jpg

  Wrath of the Lich King Login screen

• LOADSCREENNORTHREND.jpg

  Northrend loading screen.

• LOADSCREENEASTERNKINGDOM.jpg

  New Eastern Kingdoms loading screen.

• LOADSCREENKALIMDOR.jpg

  New Kalimdor loading screen.

• LoadScreenOutland.jpg

  New Outland loading screen.

• 

  BlizzCon 2007 booklet.

• Arthas Artwork.jpg

  A picture of Arthas.

• 

  Dragonblight Coast.

• 

  Utgarde Keep — note the improved quality of the flames.

• 

  Tuskarr camp in the Borean Tundra.

• 

  Howling Fjord.

• 

  Howling Fjord.

• 

  A new Horde town, Grizzly Hills.

• 

  The dragonblight.

• 

  A new dryad Model.

• 

  Dryad Tree spirits or a shrine in Howling Fjord?

• 

  An Alliance port, Valiance Keep.

• 

  A lighthouse outside Valiance Keep.

• 

  Valgarde in Howling Fjord.

• 

  Fort Wildervar in Howling Fjord?

• 

  Shovel tusk in Howling Fjord.

• 

  A Plague eruptor at Gjalerbron

Concept art

People

• 

  Concept of a female Vrykul.

• 

  An Iron dwarf.

• 

  A monster.

• 

  Another one.

• 

  The tuskarr preparing whale meat.

• 

  Artwork of a Vrykul from the WoW — WotLK site.

• 

  Death Knight 2, from the BlizzCon Press CD.

• Tuskarr Concept Art.jpg

  Tuskarr concept art.

• 

  A "Fjord giant".

• 

  A Frost giant.

• 

  A Frost wyrm.

• 

  A giant worm living in Northrend, the dreaded Jormungar.

• Mutatedfishcreature1.jpg

  A Gorloc.

• 

  And another one?

• 

  A "Shovel Tusk" (Shovelhorn Stag). Shovel-shaped tusks for digging through tundra.

• 

  A male taunka.

• 

  An image of a Taunka, a "winter Tauren".

• 

  A tuskarr hunter.

• 

  A corrupted furbolg.

• 

  An undead Whale.

• Northrendcorruptshark.jpg

  An undead Shark.

Places

• Nifflevarconc.jpg

  Nifflevar concept art.

• 

  Scenery deep within Northrend.

• 

  Sholazar Basin.

• 

  A "winter tauren" (or taunka) hut.

• 

  Ulduar, a Titan monument far to the north, located at the Storm Peaks.

• 

  Corridor within Ulduar.

• Wotlkunkconc.jpg

  An unknown mausoleum.

• Wotlkunkconc2.jpg

  Another unknown mausoleum.

• 

  Utgarde Keep, located between Daggercap Bay and Lake Cauldros.

• Utgardeconc1.jpg

  Utgarde Keep interior.

• Artwork1.jpg

  Utgarde Pinnacle.

• 

  Lush vegetation in Grizzly Hills.

• Unknownconcept.jpg

  Grizzly Hills.

• 

  Grizzly Hills.

• 

  Azjol-Nerub Entrance.

• 

  A concept of a hive on one of multiple floors within the kingdom of Azjol-Nerub.

• 

  Orc buildings.

• 

  Nerubian building.

• 

  Nerubian building.

• 

  An Utgarde hallway.

Videos

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King cinematic trailer

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King preview

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King IGN Footage 1

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King IGN Footage 2

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King IGN Footage 3

Assault on Angrathar

See also

• Loading screens
• World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King FAQ
• What Wrath of the Lich King is NOT

External links

Official site

Official Wrath of the Lich King site 

Features 

Bestiary

Bestiary 

Death Knight

Death Knight Interview 

Death Knight Lore 

Dungeons

Utgarde Keep 

The Nexus 

Environments

Borean Tundra 

Howling Fjord 

Grizzly Hills 

Dragonblight 

Factions

Tuskarr 

Rise of the Lich King background story

Chapter 1 – The Curse of Ner'zhul 

Chapter 2 – The Claiming of Frostmourne 

Chapter 3 – Shattering the Frozen Throne 

Screenshots 

Artwork 

Wallpapers 

FAQ 

Movies 

Forum posts

World of Warcraft Community Site New Wrath of the Lich King Fansite Kit

Forum thread Information About Expansion & 2.3/2.4

Forum thread Wrath of the Lich King (Updates)

Unofficial sites

Curse 

IGN 

MMO-Champion 

VideoGamesBlogger 

Wikipedia 

World of Blogcraft Wrath of the Lich King Announcement Post

WowInsider 

Wrathblog Discussions of Wrath of the Lich King Information

Yahoo Video Games BlizzCon 07: Wrath of the Lich King demo'd

GadgetZone Wrath of the Lich King in-depth review

Videos

Blizzcon 2007 (official) Trailer 

Realm History BlizzCon 2007 Movies Collection

Realm History Wrath of the Lich King Leipzig Game Convention Screenshots

WoW Radio BlizzCon 2007 videos, all panels.

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