Worldwide-Invitational
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Blizzard announces major World of Warcraft class changes at WWI
Massively's sister site WoW Insider is currently hard at work at the Worldwide Invitational, Blizzard's big to-do in France. They were onhand this morning for the big announcement, and though it's not really Massive we have to admit we're still pretty excited for Diablo 3. But you're here for MMO news, which the WI team has for you in spades. Representatives from Blizzard offered up a heaping helping of Wrath of the Lich King information, with some great info for just about every class. You're going to want to head to WoW Insider for the full monty, but here are a few highlights: Fury Warriors will be dual-weilding 2H weapons. Rogues will get a new AoE. Priests will get a new crowd control spell. Shaman totems will now affect an entire raid. Hunters (as if they weren't cool enough) are going to see pets having talent trees of their own. A complete revamp of the pet system. Make sure to keep your eyes on WoW Insider all weekend for more Blizz-related news. Gallery: Worldwide Invitational 2008
Blizzard introduces Diablo 3
click to enter gallery var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Blizzard_introduces_Diablo_3'; Joystiq will make any sacrifice to bring you the latest news -- even if it means flying to Paris, France in order to attend Blizzard Entertainment's Worldwide Invitational. Only seconds ago we were shown a cinematic from Blizzard's newest game: Diablo 3. We're currently being shown a live demo of the game (which we're reminded is a work in progress) by lead designer Jay Wilson. The look and feel of the game -- though graphically updated from its aging sibling -- looks a lot like the dungeon crawls we all know and love from the original series. We're promised more loot, more quests (and some old friends like Deckard Cain), and new environments. Classes demo'd include the familiar Barbarian and the brand new Witch Doctor (a master of disease and fire who will control pets). Says Wilson, the game is "primarily cooperative" and it will be quick and easy to form groups over Battle.net. Sorry, folks who were expecting an MMO, but it sounds like Diablo 3 will continue in the tried-and-true Diablo format.Update: Blizzard's European site is now live with the cinematic teaser and gameplay footage for your perusal!%Gallery-26340%
Blizzard unveils Diablo 3
Despite an entire week of misleading ice and blue-lit eyes that was supposed to make people think it was the Lich King, Blizzard unveiled earlier today one of the most anticipated game releases in a long time, Diablo 3. It wasn't the best kept secret, as the week leading up to the event had the entire gaming community buzzing with rumors (and hopes) of a sequel to one of Blizzard's big three properties. Diablo is one of Blizzard's most popular properties, along with Warcraft and Starcraft. The first game in the series, a dark fantasy role-playing game, was released in 1997 to much critical success. Its sequel, Diablo 2, was released in 2000, with equally glowing reviews. Diablo received a 9.6 on GameSpot's review, the highest score on a PC game to date. Diablo 2 holds a spot in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the fastest selling computer game ever sold, with more than 1 million units sold in its first two weeks of release. It still holds the record to date.At the Worldwide Invitational, lead designer for Diablo 3 Jay Wilson, formerly of Relic Entertainment and designer on Warhammer 40K Dawn of War, spoke about the game. The latest sequel will be a 3D hack and slash with an isometric view, with at least one familiar class -- the Barbarian, an interface with health and mana bubbles. The game world will have destructible environments and quest or story events, "more so than previous games." Alongside the old (yet new) Barbarian class is the new Witch Doctor class, with spells and a pet mechanic. Diablo 3 will also see the return of Deckard Cain, one of Diablo's most popular characters. Update: The official site is up, with screenshots, artwork, and the cinematic and gameplay videos. And oh, a kickass picture of Tyrael. Stay a while, and listen! Gallery: Worldwide Invitational 2008: Diablo 3 WoW Insider is on the ground in Paris at the Blizzard Invitational bringing you the big announcements and latest Wrath news as it happens. Check out our latest coverage!
Liveblogging the Worldwide Invitational opening ceremony
We're here at the Blizzard's 2008 Worldwide invitational in Paris, waiting impatiently for the opening ceremonies to begin so we can finally quash the endless speculation about Blizzard's splash screen. We'll be reporting to you live as the ceremony continues, so read on!%Gallery-26320%
A first look at the Worldwide Invitational
Though Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational has not yet begun (though there are only a few hours to go!), WoW Insider has been checking out the Paris scene and hunting for any clues on Blizzard's next move. (We brought our magnifying glass and everything!) We haven't found any -- even after extensive interrogation of US CM Nethaera -- but we have managed to get a good look at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. Check out what's happening by travelling along with Turpster or visiting our Worldwide Invitational gallery!%Gallery-26320% WoW Insider is on the ground in Paris at the Blizzard Invitational bringing you the big announcements and latest Wrath news as it happens. Check out our latest coverage!
WoW Insider Show goes live (from Paris, kind of) tomorrow
Tomorrow's podcast is going to be a big one -- not only am I back on the air after being away last week, but Matthew Rossi and John "BigBearButt" Patricelli are both going to join me, Duncor the Dependable will likely be on from WoW Radio, and oh yeah -- by the podcast tomorrow, we'll know what the hell Blizzard has been hinting at for the past week. And there's more: not only will we be talking at length both about what Blizzard announces tomorrow and also what they don't announce, but we've got an ace in the hole: Turpster is live in Paris at the Worldwide Invitational right now, and if we can get our telegraph machine working correctly, we'll have a live-on-the-spot report from the T himself. He'll probably be drunk on French wine, but still, he'll give us a Turps-eye-view of what's going down in the land of croissants.We'll probably also chat a little bit about Arena Season 4, as well as what's going on with the Midsummer Fire Festival, but my guess is that whatever Blizzard announces tomorrow will pretty much dominate the conversation. Tune in over on WoW Radio at 3:30pm Eastern for the very first audio words in what's going on in Paris.And as usually, we'll be answer your questions via email (theshow@wow.com), and chatting live on IRC at irc.mmoirc.com in the #wowradio channel, so you can ask Turpster what France smells like (I'm guessing frog's legs and the burning fires of the revolution, but I've never been, so who knows). Tune in tomorrow to the WoW Insider Show for all the news that's fit to talk about on WWI '08!
Blizzard offers live streams of Worldwide Invitational
For those who can't make it out to Paris for this weekend's Worldwide Invitational, Blizzard is offering live streams of the main stage and tournament stage, in both low-resolution (400kbits) and high-resolution (1000kbits) modes. While the tournament stage might be less interesting, the main stage is where Blizzard is expected to make its big announcement. The stream requires the Octoshape browser plug-in; if you're planning to watch the event, we recommend getting everything ready ahead of time. Don't forget to vote in our predictions poll and keep an eye on WoW Insider for extensive WWI coverage.[Via WoW Insider]
Rumor: Death Knights coming early
Though this is the merest shred of a rumor, it's a nice enough idea that I think it's worth a post anyway. DeathKnight.info is passing on the speculation that maybe, just maybe, this weekend's announcement (or one of them) is going to be that the Death Knight class will be playable before Wrath of the Lich King's release, to those who pre-order Wrath. It sounds a bit silly, given that the Death Knight is one of the banner features of Wrath, but there are a few points riding in its favor: You only need a level 55 to create a DK. It would assuage concerns of everybody and their dog rolling a DK on the day of the Wrath release, since if the class was released (say) next month, or even in a few months, many of us would have time to get a DK to 70 before Wrath's release, to see whether we liked the class and so forth. It would give those of us who have exhausted the current content something to do for the next few months. The eyes revealed in today's teaser image could easily be sinister Death Knight eyes. Allegedly, a post on this subject was nuked by the CMs in the official forums earlier today. However, even if this is what the post was about, speculating on unreleased content is explicitly forbidden by the forum terms of service, so the post would have been removed whether or not it was accurate. Thus this is still solidly speculative. But we can dream. Now I don't know which I'm hoping for: Diablo 3 or sooner Death Knights. Not that there's any reason they can't do both.
Starcraft II WWI '08 panel part 4: Q&A
Q&A with Rob PardoQ: How will the planet systems be used?A: The star map in the story campaigns is you mission selector. You will explore the story and have a lot of different paths to follow. You can choose from 2-7 missions depending on where you are in the story. There is a starmap in all three campaigns. but different for each race. For example, in the Terran campaign you will take a lot of mercenary missions for money to pay for technology.Q: What role will hero and multiclass players play?A: We are de-emphasizing heroes in Starcraft2. That's what Warcraft 3 is for. There will be some missions where you play named characters like Raynor, but not much. Mostly dialogue and story characters, not much as gameplay chars.Q: Is the Zerg building infestation ability working on Protoss?A: Yes.Q: Will there be an Apple and PV version release at same time?A: Yes, all of our PC games will also be available on Macs.Q: Is there a Terran version of Queen/MothershipA: No. Mothership not as unique as Queen and players can build multiple Motherships.Q: What role is the roach unit supposed to have?A: It doesn't have much health, but it does have very high regeneration. Its good to go up against enemy units with low damage output like marines, zealots, etc.Q: Is the black hole still planned for the Protoss?A: It used to be on the Mothership, but was taken away when the Mothership became a defense unit in the development of the game. It may come back later in a different way in the development process but no promises.Q: What lies ahead in the evolution of units?A: The Terran Thor unit is hard to find a role for. Right now it is much like the sieg tank/battle cruiser. It could get more abilities to differentiate it.Q: The Merc Haven can't train reavers, just enables you to build them. Why?A: The Merc Haven has gone through five or six designs, but we never fell in love with one. It needs more tinkering.Q: What kind of units will come out from Protoss infested buildings?A: I misspoke earlier. They [the Zerg] cannot infest Protoss buildings, but we're still deciding for sure.Q: Will the Ghost unit get telekenisis or telepathic abilties like in the books and manga?A: There is much experimentation right now with the unit and it's centered around the lore. There is a good chance, yes.Q: Is it possible to play the story line in co-op mode?A: No. It's been discussed, but it's too difficult to have two players both be the main character.That's all from Paris. We'll have some hands-on write ups with the new Zerg demo they have set up. Check back soon.
Blizzard Authenticator to be introduced at the Worldwide Invitational
The problem with keyloggers and other methods of account theft has been well documented here at WoW Insider, and it seems like a constant problem. Even the most conscientious of players has fallen prey to it. However, at the Worldwide Invitational, Blizzard is introducing a little piece of hardware that could make those problems vanish. Say hello to the Blizzard Authenticator. The Authenticator is a small piece of hardware that you can associate with your World of Warcraft account. Once the Authenticator is associated with the account, you will need it to log on. Every time you log on, you press a button on the Authenticator to generate a six-digit code that you must input to log on. Since only you know the code, and it's generated apart from your computer at the time you're ready to log on, it will be safe from trojans, keyloggers, and other hacks. The Authenticator will be available at the WWI to start, then eventually at the Blizzard Store. The starting price being quoted by Blizzard is $6.50 -- a small price to pay for safety from a ransacked bank and naked server transferred characters, for many. Is this the big announcement though? It's possible, of course, but we like to think there's more in store at the WWI. Stay tuned here, and we'll let you know.
Blizzard's splash screen changes for June 26th
The saga of the icy splash screen continues, as the newest splash screen has just gone live on Blizzard's sites under the file name ice4.jpg. This time, the ice has cracked away even further, revealing more of the night sky, and what looks to be a face coalescing from the ice flecks and vapor in the middle of the picture. The identity of the face isn't clear, although Alex thinks it may be a Protoss Archon. We've also received this very intriguing picture from tipster Pact, which shows the face overlaid with a picture of Diablo from the Diablo 2 box. Of course, it's worth noting that it could simply be Arthas' eyes as well, peering out from his helmet. As expected, a new rune has appeared as well, bringing the tally to four. This rune, located to the lower right of the cracking ice, looks like nothing so much as a miniature solar system model -- perhaps related to this model seen during April Fool's? Diablofans.com has suggested it may be a top-down view of an Arcane Sanctum from Warcraft 3 and WoW (You can see one at the Scryer's base in Shadowmoon) as well. As also expected, a new piece of the strange purple monster has appeared as well. It appears to be the hindquarters of the beast. So far, I'm still sticking to my belief that it's some sort of purple penguin. This file was named 16.jpg, which, if we follow the alphabet conversion method we've been using for previous pieces, gives us the letter "P." "Powd" is the best I can get out of that. Does that mean this picture is that of a new mascot named "Powder the penguin"? As usual, you can see all of these graphics in our splash screen speculation gallery, which is constantly being updated with new speculation and analysis as the WWI draws nearer. %Gallery-25975% There's more analysis to come after the break.
Battle.net forums hint at Diablo 3
Nothing sparks speculation like a mystery, as Blizzard's recent splash pages in this week leading up to their Worldwide Invitational tournament have shown. The main contenders for what Blizz is going to announce (and yes, they are going to announce something) are Diablo 3 and something related to Wrath. Only two splash pages have shown up so far (out of a presumably longer series), but the game may already be given away by a slip-up at the Battle.net forums. Blizzplanet is reporting that if you go to www.battle.net/forums/board.aspx?ForumName=d3-general (which would be the Diablo 3 general forums), you get an error that "The Battle.net Forums Are Currently Down." However, if you go to any other forum name that doesn't yet exist (like www.battle.net/forums/board.aspx?ForumName=wowinsider-rocks), you get redirected to the main Battle.net forums page. Only d3-general gives the "forums down" error. If you like to follow Blizzard-related rumors, this may sound familiar. Way back at Blizzcon '07, this was one way we found out that Wrath of the Lich King was going to be the next expansion: www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath gave a "Forbidden" error, whereas any other non-existent path at worldofwarcraft.com gave a regular old 404. So to me this seems like a big hint in the favor of D3. Which means that those of you hoping for a big Wrath-related announcement might well be disappointed. But in my mind, a release date was always unlikely - since when does Blizz give release dates, especially when the game is so far away (still in alpha)? Then again, they could always announce more than one thing; it is about time for a closed beta on Wrath. However, my guess (and my hope) is for Diablo 3.
Starcraft II WWI '08 panel part 2: Protoss
The Protoss are a force to be reckoned withPardo moved on to talk a bit about how the Protoss are progressing in the development of the game. Their psionics are the key theme to their race and Blizzard pushed that further, but also pulled back on the emphasis on spellcasting.First he showed an example of their new force field ability used to control the battlefield. A video showed a swarm of zerglings rushing a Protoss base, but the Protoss force threw up a series of connected force fields that formed a funnel forcing the zergs into a choke point where they were easily destroyed.While high damage Protoss spells like Psi Storm are returning, Blizzard also wanted to introduce some early game casters. Nullifiers were mentioned. And Stalkers were given a teleport ability that had interesting strategic potential. In another video of game play, force fields were raised forcing an attacking army to go around it. The Stalkers then teleported themselves to the other side of the force fields, behind the attacking army, and took them out from behind. The return of the MothershipThe Protoss Mothership also makes an appearance. While not as powerful as the Zerg Queen, it has been given powerful support abilities. It is now a mobile battlefield teleporter, able to zap in troops to wherever it is at. It is also heavily armored and has an emergency ability called Time Bomb which renders it immune from damage for a short period of time. Since it isn't as versatile as the Zerg Queen, Protoss players will be able to have more than one Mothership in play at once. NEXT: The Terrans and the diminishing Hero ===>
Ron Pardo hints at a new game announcement at Paris GDC
As you may recall, Rob Pardo was the keynote speaker at this week's GDC in Paris, only days before the Worldwide Invitational in the same city. He delivered a speech laden with a lot of insight into his and Blizzard's inner workings and philosophy, but not much in the way of new information about WoTLK, as Natalie reported yesterday. However, Gamesindustry.biz is reporting that Pardo did let a rather major piece of information slip in the final Q&A session that wrapped up on the conference. It looks like there may be a new game announcement at the Invitational later this week after all. Someone asked Pardo to comment on the Diablo 3 rumors that have been whizzing around the net lately. "So you want me to announce the game before our announcement?" he said. "No offense, but I think there's like 300 people here, and I'll be ripped apart by 8000 people there [at the Invitational] if I pre-announce it - but it's going to be really exciting. I think everybody here will be really excited about the announcement." Luckily, among those 8000 people at the Worldwide Invitational will be three of our own, so you can expect WoW Insider will be on top of this announcement when it drops. In the meantime, be sure to check our in-depth analysis of the latest changes to Blizzard's splash screen, which is almost certainly a teaser for this announcement. [Thanks for the forward, Centipede!]
"I am Murloc" free download for Guitar Hero III
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/World_of_Warcraft_meets_Guitar_Hero_III'; All your dreams have just come true, my friend. Now you can be a murloc AND a rockstar. Thanks, I assume, to the Activision merger with Blizzard, the companies are doing a cross-promotion for their two most popular games. Starting tomorrow, June 26, you can snag a free download of I am Murloc, for Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock. You may remember this delightful little metal ditty from the video below, an ode to our favorite aggro-licous gurglers. The song is performed by Blizzard's in-house band, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain. You can get the download from either Xbox LIVE® Marketplace or PLAYSTATION®Store as a free promotion supporting the Worldwide Invitational. If you don't know anything about Guitar Hero and have been living in a box for the last few years, you can find out more on their website or on our sister site, Joystiq.And now, for your easy-listening pleasure, I present I am Murloc. Thank you and good-night!
Blizzard's splash screen changes for June 25th, reveals new rune
I'm sure by now you've heard of the strange splash screen that has appeared on Blizzard's major websites, and seen the progression from day 1 to day 2, and read our report on it here at WoW Insider. As expected, a new splash screen has just appeared on Blizzard's main site. This time, a large chunk of the ice in the middle of the picture seems to have broken away. Unfortunately, we still can't make out much of anything through the ice, though we've already had a tipster or two comment to say that it may be the night sky. If so, does that mean we're inside some sort of icy tomb or cavern looking out? There's also a new rune located in the bottom left hand corner of the breaking ice. The meaning of the new rune is still up in the air. Diabloii.net points out that it looks a lot like a Protoss symbol found on the official Starcraft 2 site. You can see the image, as well as the newest piece of that strange purple monster image, in our splash screen gallery below. %Gallery-25975%
Blizzard's icy splash screen changes as Diablo 3 and WoTLK speculation intensifies
We reported yesterday about the new icy splash screen which has appeared on many of Blizzard's corporate and gaming sites. There's already tons of speculation speeding around the web about it, and of course the pot was only stirred all the more this morning when the picture changed slightly: the light in the middle of the cracked ice became brighter, and there's some new detail that can be seen through the ice, including a rune of some sort just to the upper right of the center. we can probably assume that the picture will change more each day until something is announced at the Worldwide Invitational. However, the question remains: What is being announced? Right now, there's two major schools of thought about it: One school says that this will lead up to the announcement of the WoTLK Beta, while another says that this will be the announcement of Diablo 3. Each side has some pretty passionate arguments, and are bringing the analysis to back it up. Let's look at what we have after the break. %Gallery-25975%
Leaked WWI schedule hints at Diablo 3 announcement?
Ice on the official site or otherwise, I'm still holding out hope that we'll see a Diablo-related announcement at WWI (and not a Wrath of the Lich King beta/release announcement, as many are guessing). And here's a little more fuel for the speculation fire: DiabloII.net says they've received the official schedule for the event in Paris this coming weekend, and right after the main presentation, they say that Blizzard has planned a press conference. And basically, their argument is that you don't plan a press conference to announce an open beta of an expansion we've known about for almost a year -- you hold a press conference for a new Diablo game.We should also note, though people have noticed this before, that Sunday, June 29th, is the eighth anniversary of the release of Diablo II, so this weekend has a lot of hack-and-slash-related significance as is. Of course, we won't know until WWI actually kicks off in Paris on Saturday -- WoW Insider will, of course, have correspondents on the scene to let you know exactly what Blizzard announces when they do.And even if we don't get D3 this weekend, there's always BlizzCon.[Via Blizzplanet]
Worldwide Invitational 2008 contest signups begin
The date of the World Wide Invitational in Paris creeps ever closer and closer. Of course, the biggest thing we're looking forward to is all the new WotLK information courtesy of the playable WotLK demos and Developer panels, but the contests should be pretty fun too. If you're planning to enter one of them, the signups are beginning. Submissions for the fan art and machinima contests are being accepted via web form from now until June 17th, so that leaves you a little under one more week to finalize your submission. As for the dance and costume contests, registration will be open from June 16th to June 20th. Remember, some of the contests are only open to certain European countries, so check the rules to make sure you're eligible -- and remember, if you're not, you may be eligible for the contests at Blizzcon 2008 instead. Good luck with your entries, and we'll see you in Paris!
Poll: Are you looking forward to WoTLK more than you looked forward to Burning Crusade?
So recently, Tobold was saying that excitement around Wrath of the Lich King is visibly much less than the excitement that led up to the release of Burning Crusade. People are tired out by the 2 year wait, WoW isn't innovating, WoW isn't adding the content fast enough: there's just so many reasons that the Wrath of the Lich King is being greeted with ennui instead of excitement. My first thought upon reading that: Wait, people aren't excited over WoTLK?
