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BlizzCon 2009: Q&A with Cory Stockton
The DirecTV stream has been of questionable stability today, but it has brought us an excellent interview with Cory Stockton, WoW's lead world designer. Here's what we learned: Development on Cataclysm was started before Wrath of the Lich King was done. Deathwing is the main boss of Cataclysm, as Arthas was for Wrath. You will not be able to go back to the old world content at all post-Cataclysm. Faction transfer will let you choose any race that can play your class. Archaeology is a secondary skill, like cooking, so anyone can get it. It ties in very closely with Path of the Titans, the new advancement system. It's all about traveling through Azeroth finding ancient artifacts, with a mini-game to decipher what the artifact is, and then you get rewards for it. Rewards will include profession recipes, items, and money, and the big reward will be new glyph slots for Path of the Titans (hopefully more on this later). The Worgen will have their own district in Stormwind. Odds and ends, sure, but some darn interesting ones. BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
BlizzCon 2009: The new Battle.net and WoW
The BlizzCon Battle.Net + Starcraft II panel revealed some interesting tidbits about how the new Battle.Net will communicate and interact with not only Starcraft II, but other current and future Blizzard games -- including WoW. By adding someone to your BNet friends list, you can see when they're online in games that you play. This means that. for example, if your friend Alex Ziebart is playing SC2 and you're in WoW, you'll be able to see that he's online -- and even send him a message if you desire, a la Steam's community overlay.But wait, there's more! If you and Alex are real-life friends, and approve each other as as much on BNet, you'll also be able to tell more detailed information at a glance on your WoW friends list, like what server Alex is currently playing on, or whether he's actually playing Diablo 3. A proposed feature is to let you log out of whatever game you're in and jump into whatever game Alex is playing and join him! The friends list will work very similarly in all of the BNet-ready games.It sounds like a great improvement, and very XBox Live -- which I gather is the point. BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
BlizzCon 2009: Goblin backstory and zone info
The DirecTV stream cut out for me after the opening ceremony, so it's possible there are a few things I'm missing; drop a comment if it looks like I've omitted anything. Anyway, here's what we know about the Goblins (the new Horde race) so far:BACKSTORYThe playable race is a group of Goblins based on the Isle of Kezan, a new zone between the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor. While Goblins and the neutral Goblin trade organizations as a whole originate here, the official site and trailer both hint that the playable group has had (or is that, will have?) a recent and deeply unpleasant encounter with the Alliance that makes the Horde a logical choice when the time comes to pick sides. From the trailer, it would appear that much of the Goblins' starting zone is taken up by the eponymous cataclysm, the need to get away from the destruction, and their induction into the Horde, but we don't have too many details on it yet.The playable Goblins won't be formally associated with any of the neutral Goblin trading organizations we already know and love (figuratively speaking, of course; the Steamwheedle Cartel's been bilking us for years). There's also no mention so far of the other Goblins going anywhere, so I'm assuming that the game's preexisting Goblins will remain in the game in whatever capacity they can post-cataclysm, and the Horde Goblins are a faction unto themselves named the Bilgewater Cartel.
BlizzCon 2009: Class, Items, and Professions Panel Live Blog
We'll be live blogging the Class, Items, and Professions panel at 5:00 p.m. PDT / 8:00 p.m. EDT. This is the panel with Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street, so you'll want to pay attention.Take a look after the break for the live blog.
Exclusive: Christie Golden writing the Cataclysm novel
The NDA on this was just dropped on this info, and we wanted to get it out to you ASAP. Christie Golden, author of the hit novel Arthas, will be writing the Cataclysm novel. There is no additional information on this, other that its existance. One thing can be sure about though, it will no doubt contain a ton of great lore and be very well written.We'll have our interview with Christie up for you later this evening or early tomorrow.
BlizzCon 2009: Archaeology and Path of the Titans
The upcoming expansion, Cataclysm, will be incorporating greater levels of character customization than ever before. From guild talent trees, a different talent tree system, new races and race/class combinations, to a new profession that will be all about customization. Enter the Path of the Titans, and the new secondary profession, Archaeology.Pass through the break for all the details, but be warned, spoilers lay ahead!
BlizzCon 2009: Cataclysm - Zones video
We've got video from Cataclysm, giving you flythroughs of a number of zones, both new and old, featured in the expansion. The Barrens, Ashenvale, Darkshore, Desolace, Stonetalon Mountains, Gilneas, and the Lost Isles are shown, and for the old Azeroth zones, great transitions between the old and new terrain is featured.We'll have more videos for you as the day goes on, but for now, enjoy the view, and appreciate the grand scope of this expansion! BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
BlizzCon 2009: The Guild Panel Live Blog
The Guild was at our meetup last night (bloggers and Internet stars -- guess who's who above), and now they're about to take the floor at BlizzCon. We're standing by to hear what Felicia and the cast have to say about the new season, the upcoming comic book, and the geeky tour de force that is The Guild.Liveblogging starts right after the break -- newest at the top. Should be fun!%Gallery-70707%
BlizzCon 2009: Art Gallery
One of the quiet pleasures for me every BlizzCon is taking a trip through the Art Gallery -- it's not quite as flashy as the panels or the hands-on demos, but it is awesome to see the real core of Blizzard's work, the art that inspires all of these various universes and characters.Take a look through the gallery below -- there's some cool concepts and art from all three of Blizzard's universes (and some excellent looks at what we'll see in the very newly announced World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. You can also see the noobz figurines on display. Many of those were created by Blizzard artists, and some of them were created by fans as well. The whole gallery really shows off the kind of talent that's putting these games and their concepts together.%Gallery-70696%BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
BlizzCon 2009: The costumes
Not at BlizzCon yourself? Don't fear -- while all of us are here fighting with massive queues and the door boss (live in person, above), you can enjoy BlizzCon from the safety of your own computer via the live stream and our own live coverage (glance to the right for our BlizzCon live blog schedule). We expect to see many more costumes over the course of the weekends and we will be certain to keep updating this gallery as we get more screenshots photos. Until then, enjoy!%Gallery-70668%%Gallery-70720%BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Concept Art
Straight from the press disc comes the concept art from World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. We also have plenty of pictures we got off the floor. Check out those Goblin and Worgen drawings. Great stuff!%Gallery-70682% BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
BlizzCon 2009: Cataclysm race-class combo matrix online
With official word that there will be new race-class combinations in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Blizzard has posted the official matrix of what races will have what classes available to them. Big surprises so far include Worgen Druid and Goblin Shaman!The full matrix is above, and the text list below. All of our previous speculation was correct, so this should give rerollers plenty of opportunity to experience the new, shattered realm of Azeroth! Human Hunter Orc Mage Night Elf Mage Blood Elf Warrior Dwarf Shaman Dwarf Mage Undead Hunter Tauren Paladin Tauren Priest Gnome Priest Troll Druid BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm map
This is the best map picture we have at the moment. When we can get a better one, we'll post it. %Gallery-70695%
BlizzCon 2009: World of Warcraft Preview Panel liveblog
The World of Warcraft preview panel starts in about five minutes at 12:30 PST. Liveblogging will begin right after the jump.Expect to hear more about the newly announced Cataclysm expansion, as well as all of the new features we just heard about at the BlizzCon 2009 opening ceremony. Should be exciting!
Blizzcon 2009: Official Cataclysm FAQ
Blizzard's official Cataclysm site is going up and down every minute or two right now, but I managed to load their FAQ for the upcoming expansion, and there is plenty of interesting information in it. Barrens is split in two. Darkshore is flooded. New zones: Uldum, Grim Batol, the Sunken City of Vashj'ir. "More raid content" than previous expansions A new "Wintergrasp-like zone" called Tol Barad Archaeology, the new secondary profession, lets you "unearth valuable artifacts and earn unique rewards" The new starting zones will be heavily phased, and will be similar to the DK starting zones Azshara is now a low-level Horde zone connected directly to Orgrimar Azeroth will be changed whether you buy the expansion or not I'm psyched. I'm sure we'll learn more about all of these details as Blizzcon goes by, so keep it locked on WoW.com. In fact, check out the live blog of the Cataclysm panel going on right now for more info. I'm especially curious about Archaology, and about whether they can keep their promise to have more raid content. Check out the entire FAQ after the break! BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
BlizzCon 2009: Live blogging the Cataclysm new starter zones
Live from the BlizzCon press room it's character creation for Worgen and Goblins. We're going to write up our experiences live, so keep your eyes on this post.Be warned, below there be spoilers!
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm announced
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/World_of_Warcraft_Cataclysm_announced'; World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has just been announced at BlizzCon 2009. The expansion promise to bring about a whole new adventure for World of Warcraft players as they work their way through a destroyed and changed Azeroth.And as we announced before, Goblins and Worgen will be the new playable races. The level cap will be raised to 85, and there will be a whole new swath of raids, dungeons, and quests for everyone to enjoy. The old world raid dungeons will be revamped and deliver new heroic opportunities for players. There is a new secondary skill: Archaeology.UPDATE: Check out our latest coverage: Live blog of the playing the new racial starter zones The official FAQ page is up Live blog of Cataclysm dev panel Developer map of new Azeroth map after the Cataclysm New race/class combo matrix %Gallery-70668%%Gallery-70682%%Gallery-70630%%Gallery-70696%BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
BlizzCon 2009: The show floor
Skip the lines! Skip the crowds! See all there is to see from the BlizzCon 2009 show floor in our gallery without having to leave the cool comfort of your computer chair. We will, of course, be updating throughout the weekend as we see more strange and unusual sights.%Gallery-70667%BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
New Diablo III Class: Monk!
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/New_Diablo_III_Class_Monk'; This just came from the Korean Diablo III site, which accidently set the new D3 site live before they were supposed to. The new class for Diablo III will by the Monk!To see for yourself, go to the Diablo III page on Blizzard's site and select the Korean language. You'll see the screenshot above.Update: Just officially announced: the Monk!BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
BlizzCon 2009 DirecTV stream now active
As an FYI for all those who have ordered the service, the internet stream for the DirecTV broadcast from BlizzCon is working, although all you'll see for the moment is a looping series of advertisements for the feed itself (still scratching my head over why they feel the need to advertise a service you've already purchased, but oh well), a recap of BlizzCon 2008, and the Starcraft II, Diablo III, and Wrath of the Lich King trailers.We've gotten some reports from people that the stream seems buggy and that they've had some problems with logging in, so if you've ordered the service, I would recommend logging in early and keeping a tab up with the feed just in case. The main page for the DirecTV feed is here, so head over and make sure you've got everything in place. Don't forget that you need to press the Login button while entering your username and password; don't just hit enter! We'd guess the actual broadcast will begin shortly before the opening ceremonies at 11:00 am PST/2:00 pm EST.UPDATE: For those of you getting an "Account expired" message, Michael Sacco suggests refreshing the page several times and clearing out your cache/cookies if all else fails. Apparently that's worked for a lot of people -- try it and let us know.2:02 PM EST: Stream is now live! BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
