craig-amai

Latest

  • Warlords of Draenor: Cities and geography updates

    by 
    Anne Stickney
    Anne Stickney
    03.01.2014

    CM Bashiok had an interesting reply to some lore and geography queries on the official forums, after reaching out to Lead Quest Designer Craig Amai for answers. Some familiar places will indeed make an appearance in Warlords, including the draenei city Telmor, mentioned in depth in the novel Rise of the Horde. Telmor was a hidden draenei city, notable because it hosted two very unusual guests -- a young Orgrim Doomhammer and Durotan, who were rescued from an ogre attack by a draenei party and then taken to the city. Both orcs witnessed the removal of the invisibility spell that shrouded the city, and met with the Prophet Velen himself. Years later, Durotan was asked to use his knowledge of the invisibility spell to reveal the city and leave it open for attack. Telmor was quickly overrun. There are no remnants of Telmor in Outland today -- but there are other geographical areas that have been described in lore prior to Draenor's destruction, which Bashiok further clarified.

  • Cataclysm Preview: Azshara

    by 
    Anne Stickney
    Anne Stickney
    08.26.2010

    Popular player opinion has been a mix of excitement and wistful nostalgia when it comes to the zone of Azshara, one of the least-utilized yet most gorgeous zones from vanilla WoW. Some players are ecstatic that the zone is receiving a quest overhaul; others fear that the goblin landscaping will ruin the beautiful scenery unique to the zone. In the latest of a string of Cataclysm previews, game designers Craig Amai and Dave Kosak discuss the zone's changes and design in the upcoming expansion. The lore of the region, the design of the quests and landscape, the whereabouts of Azuregos and the general concept and story behind the zone of Azshara are all addressed, as well as a peek into what went on behind the scenes to actually redesign the landscape into a functional, fun and still hauntingly beautiful place to level. Check out the official Cataclysm page for the full article -- and while we're on a nostalgia trip, take a look back at Azshara quests that you should finish before the new expansion hits, and check out the gallery of Azshara as it exists today. %Gallery-97278% World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.