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Blizzard's Black Friday sale extended to Jan. 1, 2014
We reported yesterday about the end being nigh upon us. Well, the end of Blizzard's Black Friday sale, that is. But in late-breaking new from Blizzard Customer Support's Twitter, and the sale blog itself, the sale has been extended! UPDATE: Our Black Friday deals have been extended until 2014 rather than ending today as previously stated. Shop on! http://t.co/ssWrtbXbu1 - BlizzardCS (@BlizzardCS) December 2, 2013 So you can hold off, for now, on scaling back your purchases of hammers, tape, and adorable grandma tree ornaments. Spend those $4.99s on whatever you see fit for now, but do make sure, if you want a really cheap battle chest and a month of game time, that you get your purchase in before the new year. Think of the hammers you can buy between now and then. Or, might I suggest a pound of sour watermelon belts?
World of Warcraft's base package now includes Cataclysm
The game package formerly known as the World of Warcraft Battle Chest is now simply called World of Warcraft and has added Cataclysm to its base offering. All current players who do not already own Cataclysm will be automatically upgraded. The new box as seen above will be available in retail stores soon, with the digital download version already available on the US store. This change should coincide quite nicely with the upcoming Recruit-A-Friend revamp and make the cost of entry more manageable for new players or those wanting to set up a secondary account.
Blizzard offers WoW and antivirus combo ... in South Africa
Good news! Antivirus maker Kapersky Lab teamed up with Blizzard Entertainment to offer bundle that includes WoW, Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Kaspersky Internet Security 2013. Basically, the package is a World of Warcraft Battle Chest plus antivirus package. We think this would be a great package for friends who haven't yet gotten into the game because computer security is awfully important to keeping your WoW account in your hands. Kapersky in particular is designed with gamers in mind with a "game mode" that postpones processor-gobbling scans to free up power for gameplay. The only thing that would make this package better would be if it also included an authenticator, so you really wouldn't have to worry about account security. The only downside to this package? Currently it's only available in South Africa, where it sells for 399 Rand (or about $44). Perhaps if it's successful there, Blizzard will offer similar packages elsewhere, but for now, new players will need to purchase their game of choice and their antivirus software separately. And don't forget your authenticator!
World of Warcraft Battle Chest on sale for $10
Are you one of the five people on the planet who does not own World of Warcraft in some form? It's kind of been a big deal for the past several years. Having established that you do not already own the game, would you like to pick up the base game plus the first two expansions on the cheap? Even cheaper than their normal prices, that is? Because you have a chance to pick up the whole shebang for just $10 this week. Normally the World of Warcraft Battle Chest bundle costs $20, but until April 23rd you can pick the whole thing up for half of that. The game also has a free trial you can play if you don't want to take the risk of buying the game without knowing if you'll like it, although at $10 it's almost cheaper to just bite the bullet.
33% off the Battle Chest for this week only!
For this week only, ending April 22, the Battle Chest is available on the battle.net store for just €10. This basically equates to a third off, save the euro cent, and this is reflected in the sterling price of £7.99. Based on our past experience here at WoW Insider, we are fairly confident in asserting that a US sale will follow shortly, and we'll update this post to reflect that. Why should you purchase a Battle Chest? You're already playing WoW! Well, imagine if more of your friends played WoW, too. This is a great way to get started, and do remember that, of course, given the recent addition of Wrath of the Lich King to the Battle Chest, and the change meaning that all players can play all races, there's a whole lot of WoW here for your money. This is also a great way to get your hands on a mount, the Obsidian Nightwing to be precise, and as we investigated here at WoW Insider a while back, Recruit-A-Friend a pretty reasonable way to buy a mount. You also get some sweet leveling bonuses, grantable levels, 300%XP, that sort of thing, and you get the chance at a Scroll of Resurrection, when those next come around. Update: The Battle Chest is now also on sale in the US for $10.
WoW goes on sale in the EU and the US
As of today, in preparation for patch 5.2, all of WoW has gone on sale! The world's gamers can pick up the entire game at a huge discount, as posted today. Blizzard The Thunder King's return looms on the horizon, and to prepare for the storm, Blizzard has just slashed prices on all World of Warcraft games by up to 70%! Now is the time to recruit your friends to begin their epic quest in Azeroth. But hurry-this deal ends February 25. Price in pound sterling is £4 for Battle Chest, £6 for Cataclysm and £15 for Mists of Pandaria. source Do note that these prices are correct for the digital versions, as physical products are currently unavailable from the EU Blizzard Store. If it's physical versions you're after, and you're in the EU, then the US Blizzard Store with the associated delivery charges and potential for import duty is your only option. But exercise caution, and ensure that any game purchased can be played in your region. The US sale offers the Battle Chest for $5, Cataclysm for $10, and Mists of Pandaria for $20. US players can get either the boxed version or the digital version for this price. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
66% off the Battle Chest this week only!
The WoW Battle Chest is on special offer for this week only. The EU deal is, as you can see, the one we've posted, where the Battle Chest is discounted from €14.99 to €5, or £4 in the UK. It seems highly likely that an equivalent US promotion will follow shortly. EDIT: The US offer is up, and it's a massive 75% off! This means the Battle Chest costs a paltry $5 for this week only. You may be able to see from the header image that the Battle Chest has been updated to include Wrath of the Lich King, and all players who previously bought the battle chest now have access to Wrath content. Of course this makes it even easier to use the Recruit-a-Friend service to level up your characters, or your friends', to level 80 with the various RaF bonuses. If you choose to go about adding an account for you or a friend, I'd heartily recommend making sure you jump through the necessary hoops to link the accounts for the bonuses. It really is worth it, even just for the awesome shapeshift mount, the Obsidian Nightwing! You can hit the break to view Blizzard's introductory video, detailing the steps. And if video content isn't your style, check out the FAQ. Do follow the instructions carefully!
Digital Battle Chest now includes Wrath of the Lich King
As time marches forward, so too does the digital edition of the WoW Battle Chest. Not only are new purchasers able to get all the content from World of Warcraft and its first two expansions in one easy purchase, but in addition, all current World of Warcraft subscribers, even those that have never bought either Wrath of the Lich King or The Burning Crusade, will have access to all the content available in both expansions. This is an extremely positive change for a variety of reasons, including (but not limited to) those of you who want to use Refer a Friend on a second account for the Obsidian Nightwing, or giving the game as a gift to a friend or loved one to check it out. With so many expansions under the bridge (we're up to four as of next week) it's good to give players a leg up on the content. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
World of Warcraft's holiday sale includes $10 sparkleponies
The holidays are here, and you know what that means: holiday sales! Blizzard is joining the fun with a number of (rather good) deals. The World of Warcraft Battle Chest, which includes vanilla WoW and The Burning Crusade, is on sale for a measly $5 US. Wrath of the Lich King is on sale for $10, and Cataclysm's price has been reduced to $20. And as if that's not enough, Blizzard is also providing discounts for two of its cash shop items. Players can get their hands on a sparklepony for $10 or a Pandaren Monk non-combat pet for $5. The sale lasts until December 19th, so act now. For the full details, check out the news on WoW's official site.
World of Warcraft's Rage of the Firelands brings indefinite free trial
In a display of what can only be described as showmanship (given the fact that we can probably count on one hand the number of people who haven't dabbled in World of Warcraft at this point), Blizzard has announced that the coming of WoW's patch 4.2 will also herald the arrival of something known as the World of Warcraft Starter Edition. That's right, now that the Rage of the Firelands is upon Azeroth, the Alliance and Horde are going to need all the help they can get. Thankfully, the free trial -- which previously spanned 14 days -- now lasts indefinitely, though trial players are capped at level 20 until they purchase the full game. Do note that the Starter Edition does not include Cataclysm content but does include some Burning Crusade content such as the ability to roll Blood Elves and Draenei. And for those who decide to upgrade, the World of Warcraft Battle Chest (which includes vanilla WoW and The Burning Crusade expansion) is on sale for a paltry $19.99. And of course, there's more to patch 4.2 than the Starter Edition, and our sister site WoW Insider has your bases covered.
World of Warcraft and Battle Chest on sale for Black Friday
Yes indeed, this Friday is none other than Black Friday, which means the deals will be aplenty, the crowds will be horrendous, and the holiday money drain will begin (of course, you could go with Buy Nothing Day, but that seems a little too grinchy to me -- why not go ahead and buy while the buying's good?). Fortunately, there are a few WoW deals floating around out there, in case you need to pick up a copy of the game for a loved one (or that Recruit-a-friend account you've been planning to make). The regular WoW vanilla game (useful for leveling to 60, but if you want to go past that, you'll have to buy the expansions) is on sale in a few places for super cheap -- the Ladies of Leet saw it at Best Buy for just five bucks, and Gamestop's matching that price. Gamestop also will have the Battle Chest (with WoW and BC and a few other goodies) for $19.99, and Newegg has the same price if you don't want to fight the crowds. Unfortunately, there's no sign of Wrath on sale -- you'll still have to pony up the $40 if that's the one you want. But stay tuned in the comments -- if readers can find better prices on this stuff, we're sure you'll see them below. Good luck out there, happy deal finding.
The Queue: Normal view
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco be your host today. Happy fifth anniversary, everyone! In honor of such a prestigious age for our young upstart MMO, this edition of the Queue ... has ... well, basically nothing to do with the anniversary at all. I mean, it's not as if you guys asked any anniversary-related questions. So, we're just setting today's Queue to "normal view" and takin' care of business. Shall we? Pemberton asked... How come we can't fly from Darkshore to the Exodar?
Breakfast topic: Fit to print
When I got my recruit a friend account it came with two lovely, full-color Bradygames guide books. Each is a 24.99 16.49 value with the Battle Chest purchase. The books have descriptions of all the races and classes. They go into some detail about the zones and many of the monsters in WoW. The guides contain tips on game play and various mechanics. I found them to be completely useless. They're outdated. They guides don't really give any tips on the nuances of the game. At times they are wildly inaccurate. Granted, they may be helpful to brand new players, though not entirely more useful than small, black and white Game Manual that also comes in the box. As a rookie I never turned toward printed guides. I asked a lot of questions from resources like Thottbot, Petopia, and of course WoW Insider. Most of what I've learned, I've learned on the fly. The beautiful, colorful images must cost a small fortune to print. It all seems very excessive to me.
Four of the top ten PC games are World of Warcraft
Normally, we don't concern ourselves with sales charts too much -- we really only cover the one game, so comparing it to others really isn't our thing. Unless it's the only game in town, which, according to this month's NPD PC game software sales charts, posted by WorldofWar.net, it pretty much is. Out of the top ten PC games, Blizzard is responsible for a full half, and of those five, four are World of Warcraft related.1. WoW: Battle Chest2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe3. World Of Warcraft4. Nancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice5. Spore Creature Creator6. Diablo Battle Chest7. Warcraft III Battle Chest8. WoW: Burning Crusade9. The Sims 2 Ikea Home Stuff10. Call of Duty 4Just wild. Diablo's Battle Chest is undoubtedly there because of the Diablo III announcement, but the rest is all World of Warcraft -- people are picking up the game, its expansion, the Battle Chest (which combines both), and even the predecessor Warcraft III (in which the Wrath backstory features prominently) in droves.PC gaming isn't dead at all. But there's no question that of the struts keeping it standing, Blizzard is definitely one of the strongest.
