World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor Gets Release Date

[MarlaDesat]

World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor Gets Release Date


Blizzard Entertainment reveals the Warlords of Draenor cinematic and release date.

The fifth Lords of War [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/world%20of%20warcraft], starring the warlord Kargath Bladefist. The five episode mini-series will be released on YouTube over the next few weeks.

Mike Morhaime, Blizzard CEO and co-founder, says, "This expansion takes World of Warcraft back to the roots of Warcarft. You'll explore the orc homeworld, and establish your own base of operations as you fight for the future of Azeroth." The expansion is currently in beta, and raises the level cap to 100. Ion Hazzikostas, lead game designer, provided some more information about the level 90 boost [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/132340-World-of-Warcraft-Paid-Level-90-Boost-Will-Cost-60]. Boosting a character to level 90 will trigger an introductory area, similar to how Death Knights are treated. This will give new players or players trying out new classes a chance to adjust to the abilities before facing the new content.

Brian Holinka, senior game designer, spoke about the new cross-realm PvP zone Ashran. The zone supports two hundred player combat, with each side supported by reinforcements. Players can complete numerous PvP and PvE challenges to help their faction win the battle in Ashran. Success is rewarded with Ashran fragments, a new currency gained in the zone. Ashran fragments can be turned in to complete repeatable quests and to activate special features for each faction. "If you kill another player, you can loot half their Ashran fragments," says Holinka.

complete redesign [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/warlords%20of%20draenor].

Source: Blizzard Entertainment [http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/15053029/]

Permalink

 

[Raika]

I'd rather buy the complete box set of the 1966 Batman. It comes out around the same time and my budget's all tied up.

Obligatory snide wisecrack at the expense of World of Warcraft goes here. It's been going downhill since *insert your favorite expansion*!

 

[INVALIDUSERNAME]

Say what you will about WoW. Blizzard knows how to make a good looking cinematic.

Not gonna pick up the expansion but damn if that wouldn't get you excited to play it.

 

[Roganzar]

Say what you will about WoW. Blizzard knows how to make a good looking cinematic.

Not gonna pick up the expansion but damn if that wouldn't get you excited to play it.

I am now tempted to pick up the expansion due to that cinematic. Holy crap that was awesome!

 

[nekoali]

What is this odd feeling.. Garrosh did a good thing? What's this world (of warcraft) coming to?

 

[Skeleon]

Another one? Gotta say I'm surprised. I mean, I know WoW is still doing amazing despite having lost a ton of subscribers from their best days, but I didn't know they wanted to make even more expansions.

 

[Elader]

Everything just feels so... Orc centric now. One expansion focused on Alliance please. Or at least, oh, I dunno, mention some Draenei every now and then and what they're up to? Because I'm pretty sure Draenei live out in Draenor.

 

[Ferisar]

What is this odd feeling.. Garrosh did a good thing? What's this world (of warcraft) coming to?

Times change...

Yeah, cinematics man. It's kind of funny that they had to do it this way since Blizzcon is too close to the release date to actually showcase the cinematic like it normally goes. Hot damn I am excited though. Also, that throw-back to WC3 with Grom cleaving into Mannaroth, mmmm.

MMM.

Not gonna lie, it took those two words for Garrosh to seem actually interesting to me. MAYBE I'LL GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE.

Probably not though.

EDIT:
Oh, and the Lords of War mini seems pretty decent. I watched the first live at their reveal, and once it actually got to Kargath it got interesting.

 

[Kuredan]

That was Grommash (Grom), Garrosh's father. I guess that was a young Garrosh with him, but in previous accounts he was all "I never knew my father". What I don't understand is whether this is an alternate history thing or what. If the Orcs didn't drink of Mannaroth's blood and didn't get tainted and they did decide to conquer Draenor, why would they come to Azeroth at all? The only reason they came in the first place is because the Burning Legion, acting through Guldan forced them to. Also an interesting choice of making all the orcs brown here. When did they become green? Questions questions, I suppose we'll have an answer soon enough.

 

[Tony2077]

well that was interesting do something good for the wrong reason

 

[Xeorm]

That was Grommash (Grom), his father. Garrosh would not have been born yet (Hence 35 years ago). What I don't understand is whether this is an alternate history thing or what. If the Orcs didn't drink of Mannaroth's blood and didn't get tainted and they did decide to conquer Draenor, why would they come to Azeroth at all? The only reason they came in the first place is because the Burning Legion, acting through Guldan forced them to. Also an interesting choice of making all the orcs brown here. When did they become green? Questions questions, I suppose we'll have an answer soon enough.

They went for a confusing timeline. Best way to think of it: Garrosh goes into an alternate universe/timeline and then goes some years into the past, and then comes back to the current universe/timeline. No paradoxes possible because they never go into their own past.

On topic, I find myself not caring at all. Beta hasn't shown me anything worth thinking about, I'm continually annoyed at the developer thoughts on what I like, and it's continued to try and grab a higher monetisation model instead of better gameplay.

I do not want to buy things for real money, I want to play the game and get it. I do not want to take some flight point to everywhere, I want to use my flying mount. I do not like that you keep badly changing classes, especially when it's for reasons purely based on "we need change". The new fury changes are a great example of this.

 

[nekoali]

Garrosh was at the end, when he took off his hood. We know the story is that he escaped from Panda Prison and went back in time and space. Apparently to save his father and stop him from drinking Mannaroth's blood, leading to the corruption of the orcs. The orcs were always brown. You can see it in the untainted ones (like Garrosh) in the Burning Crusade. After drinking demon blood they turned green. And with more exposure to fel energy they turn red.

As for why they decided to come to Azeroth. You see them still building the portal at the end. Garrosh no doubt enticed his father and the others with the ripe lands for conquest on this new world... So history will continue somewhat the same. Just without the orc's demonic taint.

I have to wonder how they plan to open the portal when it's done though. That took the influence of the Burning Legion on Guldan and Medivh working together to open the portal between worlds...

 

[anthony87]

I have to wonder how they plan to open the portal when it's done though. That took the influence of the Burning Legion on Guldan and Medivh working together to open the portal between worlds...

They open it by...

Spoiler

Taking Gul'dan and some of his followers prisoner and syphoning their demonic energies to power the portal. The intro quests for the new expansion will involve freeing Gul'dan so that the portal will close.

 

[Ferisar]

I have to wonder how they plan to open the portal when it's done though. That took the influence of the Burning Legion on Guldan and Medivh working together to open the portal between worlds...

They open it by...

Spoiler

Taking Gul'dan and some of his followers prisoner and syphoning their demonic energies to power the portal. The intro quests for the new expansion will involve freeing Gul'dan so that the portal will close.

And as we all know, freeing an entirely all-too-relevant evil character from imprisonment won't cause us any problems. At least we close the portal, right?

RIGHT?

 

[Coreless]

Everything just feels so... Orc centric now. One expansion focused on Alliance please. Or at least, oh, I dunno, mention some Draenei every now and then and what they're up to? Because I'm pretty sure Draenei live out in Draenor.

Of course the expansion is orc centric, pretty much everything that happens in Azeroth started with the corrupting of the Orcs and the genocide of what was left of the Draenei on Draenor. Since the Alliance didn't even exist until after the first war there really wasn't anything happening lore wise outside of the orcs in that time period.

 

[Jandau]

I'm really torn about Warlords. I stopped playing WoW in late TBC after playing since Vanilla. I skipped Wrath and Cataclysm and only showed up this year, late into the Pandaria expansion. As a result, I failed to settle into the game for the long haul and have quit again, but I'm also aware that late into an expansion is the worst time to start playing again. I'm considering jumping on board for Warlords on release simply to play an expansion when it's fresh and vital.

Another one? Gotta say I'm surprised. I mean, I know WoW is still doing amazing despite having lost a ton of subscribers from their best days, but I didn't know they wanted to make even more expansions.

I'm assuming you don't know how MMOs work. Unlike other games, they don't just say "Well, that's enough for us, let's pack it up". Expansions keep coming as long as a game is alive. The original Everquest is on its 20th expansion, Everquest 2 is on its 9th to 14th, depending on how you count them, Dark Age of Camelot is at seven thus far, and the list goes on. Warlords of Draenor will be WoW's 5th expansion, which puts it in early middle age as far as MMOs go.

This might seem messed up to some people, but for many this is one of the draws of an MMO - a constant, uninterrupted stream of content in a persistent world.

 

[Lagslayer]

So, the action of retconning itself is becoming canon.

 

[Ferisar]

So, the action of retconning itself is becoming canon.

Not really. Alternate Universe can't retcon anything. The big thing about this event not taking place is that uncorrupted, unbloodlusted and organized orcs are threatening current-time, it's a bit of an issue. xP

 

[JSoup]

What is this odd feeling.. Garrosh did a good thing? What's this world (of warcraft) coming to?

Good in a relative sense, really. Yeah, sure, the orcs aren't going to be corrupted, but crazy iron clad Warhammer 40K orcs are now ready to lower the boom.

 

[Skeleon]

I'm assuming you don't know how MMOs work.

Yeah, I really don't. I played a lot of UO way back when, but that was on freeshards. I know there were a bunch of updates and addons available and I even got Third Dawn at some point, but I never played MMORPGs "properly". The progression came from GMs introducing and coding new stuff or organizing quests and whatnot. Heck, I even was a GM for a short while on one of those. But after ceasing to play UO, I never picked up another MMORPG. I did not know about the ridiculous number of addons Everquest got. But let me say that I hope those were at least cheaper, because as far as I know Blizzard is charging a lot of money for the main game, per addon and monthly. And didn't they also recently add in-game transactions? I dunno. Maybe it was a different time, but the progression I know from MMORPGs came from emergent gameplay, from factions forming, buying houses, having wars etc.; it wasn't so much new territories being unlocked and whatnot. It was from the interaction with other player groups, not so much from new dungeons. Although, sure, the rare new dungeon or area to do stuff in would certainly help reignite some adventurism.