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BlizzCon 2014: Hearthstone: Goblins vs. Gnomes expansion announced
It's about to get all funky and explosive up in Hearthstone. At BlizzCon today, the team announced that the upcoming expansion is called Gobins vs. Gnomes and will be releasing next month. Hearthstone: Goblins vs. Gnomes will contain over 120 new cards that draw upon the innovations of these clever and mad inventors. Two of the cards mentioned were the Explosive Sheep and the Annoy-O-Tron. Currently, the expansion is "in a final balance pass" prior to its December launch. Hearthstone will also be coming out on Android devices next month.
Liveblogging the opening ceremonies of BlizzCon 2014
Dear readers, I am going to be wholly honest with you. When I was asked if I could do this liveblog for BlizzCon, I thought I was being asked if I was capable. Like asking "can you ride your bike with no handlebars" or "can you sing to a cat until it leaves the room in disgust." But here I am now, so apparently the question was significantly less rhetorical than I had originally assumed and now I need to actually do this. You can watch the standard definition feed of the convention's opening ceremonies on the official site for free. I'll be liveblogging the important announcements in the comments if you're in a place where you can't watch along (at work, misplaced your headphones, hiding in an Amish barn and fearing discovery should your phone give away even the slightest beep); highlights will be collected past the break. There will probably be announcements about Blizzard games! Like World of Warcraft and Hearthstone and maybe, if it's very lucky, StarCraft II.
The Daily Grind: What do you think Blizzard's big secret announcement is?
Blizzard employees have been dropping hints over the last couple of weeks that there's a big announcement to be made at this year's BlizzCon, which starts later today. Speculation runs the spectrum from a new Diablo III expansion to World of Warcraft's next-next expansion, but the fan-favorite rumor suggests that Blizzard will in fact be announcing a new game altogether. The genre of that game -- and whether or not it will fill the void vacated by Titan -- is up for debate. What do you think Blizzard's big secret announcement will be? Yes, you get a gold star if you turn out to be right. Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The BlizzCon line has already been started by one dedicated player
BlizzCon 2014 starts tomorrow, and if you're already in California for the event, you've got a whole day of ambling about ahead of you. You might think there's no reason to even think about the lines or the waiting that will come around tomorrow. But you'd be wrong: There is already a line to get into the convention that starts tomorrow, a line started by one dedicated fan waiting patiently at the front gate. Massively's sister site WoW Insider reports that the fan is Brendan "Tibs" Thibodeau, a Navy veteran who has been playing World of Warcraft since 2005 and has racked up 29 level-capped characters with five legendary cloaks among them. Tibs has attended six BlizzCons and been at the front of the line for four of those, due in no small part to the dedication necessary to get in line a day before most people even think about queueing up. At last update, however, the second spot in line is still available. BlizzCon returns to Anaheim during the weekend of November 7th and 8th, 2014! Whether you're anticipating World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor expansion or the latest news from Diablo III, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm, we aim to have it covered!
There's already someone in line at BlizzCon, and they have 29 level 90's
If you were planning on being first in line at BlizzCon, you're already too late. The front of the line has been taken by Brendan "Tibs" Thibodeau, aka Slowmilk, a level 90 tauren death knight from Zangarmarsh, as well as a host of other characters. How many, you might ask -- how about twenty-nine level 90's, complete with five legendary cloaks, eleven Thunderfuries, four Sulfuron Hammers, and one set of Warglaives of Azzinoth completed, with two more in progress. This BlizzCon is the sixth for Tibs, and out of those six BlizzCons, he has been first in line four times. A fifteen year Navy veteran, Tibs played World of Warcraft overseas and once he got home as well. "World of Warcraft was my second home," said Tibs, who has been playing World of Warcraft since December of 2005. "It was getting on and meeting other people from all over the world and having those connections." As for what he'd like to see from BlizzCon ... well, he's still hoping for a mount -- the one and only BlizzCon mount was the Polar Bear from BlizzCon 2008. But in the meantime, Tibs has been busy working on his own goals -- he just got a degree in game production, and hopes to work for Blizzard one day himself. Until then, we know where to find him ... he'll be the guy with the first goodie bag and badge of the con.
Road to BlizzCon Day 2: Fruitcake and Fallout
I couldn't even begin to explain why, but I'm fairly certain my comrade-in-arms Anne Stickney insisted on making our BlizzCon road trip an annual event exclusively so she could get a glimpse of a 104-year-old fruitcake. Our itinerary went through numerous iterations leading up to the start of our journey. The fruitcake was struck from the list countless times, but she managed to worm it back in there every single time. At some point, a guy accepts his fate and travels cross-country to see an old, crusty fruitcake. What can you do? I'll let it slide, though. Day 2 of our road trip also included Goodsprings, Nevada, which I insisted on visiting from the beginning. Anyone who has played Fallout: New Vegas will recognize the location: it's the game's first Vegas locale. And, as it turns out, this supposedly-haunted town and its Pioneer Saloon may be recognizable to even those who have never touched a video game. It's been a standby location throughout modern pop culture, its Hollywood breakthrough predating Fallout by many years.
World of Warcraft: Looking for Group documentary debuts at BlizzCon
This Saturday during BlizzCon, we're going to get to take a look at a new documentary about World of Warcraft, with a lot of familiar faces (seriously, the trailer alone is packed with celebrities) and an interesting perspective on how WoW took what was a pretty niche market in MMO's and made them a lot more mainstream. Here's a short teaser for something we'll be premiering Saturday at @BlizzCon. http://t.co/eRqhe5v15x - World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) November 5, 2014 My first reaction was "Wow, that's a heck of a Garona cosplay!" Which is why I headed up the post with that picture. Seriously, she looks more like Garona than Garona does. WHoever you are, Garona cosplayer, please let me know so I can put your name in this post. But beyond that, as someone who's been playing for ten years, I found it amazing to see it all laid out like that, how we were all just stumbling our way through the game, having no idea what it was or what it would lead to.
The Queue: We're having an adventure
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. We seem to be rather light on questions lately. That's no surprise, given where we stand now: days away from BlizzCon and not much further from the official release of Warlords of Draenor. In a lot of ways, we've exhausted what there is to be said until those events hit us square in the face. Admittedly, I am not too upset about this fact -- because today's Queue is being written from a hotel room in Barstow, California. The town is a madhouse and the wifi is terrible. Please bear with me; we're in the middle of adventure. @OriginalMrGoat asked: Any bets as to what fills the Blizcon void?
BlizzCon kicks off on Friday, virtual tickets still available
If you've been waiting patiently for the next big convention focused entirely around Blizzard's game catalogue, your wait is almost over. BlizzCon 2014 kicks off on Friday, November 7th, with the opening ceremonies starting at 2:00 p.m. EST. There's no chance of attending in person if you don't already have a ticket, but you can still pick up a virtual ticket, and DirecTV customers can also grab a pay-per-view stream that includes a virtual ticket and the associated benefits. The convention will host a variety of tournaments, including the Hearthstone championships, the StarCraft II championships, and the World of Warcraft Arena championship. There will also be the usual assortment of lore panels, development previews, and reveals for the various games under the Blizzard banner, included the much-anticipated Warlords of Draenor expansion. If you've been on the fence about getting a stream, take a look at the list of festivities and get ready to see what's coming from the studio this weekend.
Trademark filings hint at possible Hearthstone expansions
Gamers love to speculate about expansion titles, and with good cause. If an expansion is titled The Battle for the Southern Ridge, well, you can be pretty sure there will be some fighting and you'll be on the southern ridge. If it's titled Steve Gets a Subpoena, you look for a character named steve. This is why particular attention has been paid to two new trademark filings by Blizzard, both of which seem like perfect titles for an upcoming Hearthstone expansion. The names in question are "Eye of Azshara" and "Overwatch." While the latter could apply to many games, the former seems quite clearly aimed at either World of Warcraft or Hearthstone, and it seems even more unlikely that the company would announce the next expansion for World of Warcraft as players are still waiting for Warlords of Draenor. Is it a red herring or harbinger of things to come? We'll know more when BlizzCon takes place later this week.
BlizzCon Charity Auction expands online
Blizzard is breaking out some pretty incredible and exclusive loot from the depths of its vaults for this year's BlizzCon Charity Auction, and you don't have to be at the convention to participate. Proceeds from this year's auction go to Children's Hospital of Orange County -- and Blizzard has lined up quite the collection of items to bid on. This year, the auction will be expanded online for those interested in bidding to help raise money for charity. Included in the items available are pieces of art from various Blizzard titles, including the amazing Alex Horley painting from Warlords of Draenor, a still from the Lords of War series by Laurel D. Austin and Charles Lee, the cover art for War of the Ancients by Glenn Rane, and many other prominent pieces of art from various Blizzard franchises. And if you're looking for something to place on a shelf, several of Blizzard's Holiday Exclusive pieces are also up for grabs as well. To check out all the pieces, head to the official BlizzCon Charity Auction page, and keep your eyes peeled -- the online auction begins on November 5, and continues until November 14.
Celebrate 10 years of World of Warcraft at BlizzCon
Blizzard has just announced a World of Warcraft 10-year anniversary celebration at BlizzCon 2014. While the event is to be held outside of the Anaheim Convention Center the evening of November 7, it's strictly outdoors -- meaning you don't need a BlizzCon ticket to attend. If you happen to be in the area, you're welcome. The event will include live music, access to Anaheim's many food trucks, a photo booth, and a tattoo artist. I'm curious whether this is an artist of permanent ink tattoos -- rather than, say, press-on or henna tattoos. If we're taking ink-and-needles here, we wonder how many will look back on this as a night of regret.
BlizzCon mobile app updated
The mobile BlizzCon app updated with BlizzCon 2014's schedule this week -- prior to the update, the app continued to display last year's event schedule. There are no new revelations in the app's schedule; the glaring gaps on two of the event's stages remain wide open. For those of you keeping count, BlizzCon is now less than one week away.
The Queue: 7 days
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. I've had myself convinced that my road trip to BlizzCon began on November 4. I checked my intinerary this morning and realized it starts November 2. There's a bit of panic happening, people. It's okay, though. I'll just let Taylor Swift's new album loop a few more times. That'll fix it. Jalamenos asked: How will gems and enchants work on WoD gear? Changing stats according to spec is great but I would really rather not have agility gems on my healing gear.
Metallica will rock out at BlizzCon 2014
Imagine that you're a big-name game developer with a pile of money and millions of fans to impress at your yearly convention. Would you hire your favorite band from your youth to play a custom gig? Hell yeah you would! And so would Blizzard, which is why the studio's just announced that Metallica will be performing at BlizzCon next month. It's the perfect band to listen to while riding around on your Azeroth Chopper and playing your Orc. "We're thrilled to announce that Metallica will be performing the closing concert at BlizzCon 2014, playing before a sold-out convention crowd on the night of November 8!" Blizzard gushed in its announcement post earlier today. "If you didn't score tickets to the show, don't worry -- you can still get a front-row seat from home with the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket." Hey, at least it's not Blink-182.
Metallica to perform at BlizzCon 2014
Blizzard Entertainment has announced Metallica will be performing live at BlizzCon 2014. As with previous years, the performance will take place during the convention's closing ceremony Saturday, November 8. If you won't be attending BlizzCon, you will be able to watch the concert with the BlizzCon virtual ticket. Performances at previous BlizzCons included Foo Fighters, Tenacious D, Blink-182 and Ozzy Osbourne.
What is BlizzCon and how can I keep up with it?
If you're new to the game or play casually, you may be wondering just what all the fuss is about BlizzCon. So just what is BlizzCon and what does it mean to you? We'll start at the beginning: BlizzCon is a convention held by Blizzard where they announce new games (and expansions), hold panels with developers, let the best players in the world show off their skills in tournaments, offer hands-on demos of just-announced games, host costume and talent contests, and other fun Blizzard-centric activities. The con is held in sunny Anaheim, California on a standard Blizzard "when it's ready" schedule -- typically every couple of years, though sometimes it's an annual event. This year's convention will be on the weekend of November 7 - 8th and if you want to attend... well, unfortunately tickets are sold out. However, you can still pick up a virtual ticket which will let you watch live streams from the convention floor, access the BlizzCon-exclusive store, and pick up some in-game goodies -- like this year's Grommloc murloc pet -- for $40. But is it worth it -- and do you even care? Well, maybe. Here's a rundown of what you can expect to happen at BlizzCon this year -- and how to keep up with the news from afar.
BlizzCon 2014 Online Merchandise sale begins
BlizzCon's online merchandise sale is now open for business and selling a variety of cool new products. If you have purchased tickets for this year's BlizzCon, or a Virtual Ticket for the show, you may now check out and purchase several of the items that will be available at the convention this year through Blizzard's Gear Shop. The sale has a ton of new items from all of Blizzard's titles -- it's not everything we'll be seeing at BlizzCon, but there's still a wide selection of items to choose from, both brand-new items, and familiar favorites from BlizzCons past as well. This year's items include several new t-shirts from Blizzard's titles, some new hats, and a special World of Warcraft 10 year anniversary messenger bag, which you can see in the image above. The new faerie dragon plush has also been made available, as well as two new posters -- one featuring art from Heroes of the Storm, the other a stunning image of Grommash Hellscream from the recently released animated series Lords of War. To check out the items and order, you must have either purchased a Virtual Ticket for BlizzCon 2014, or tickets for the event in Anaheim. If you have purchased a Virtual Ticket, your account should already be flagged for the sale. If you have purchased physical tickets, you'll need to use the redemption code included in your ticket email in order to flag your account. Supplies are limited, so take a look at what's available and place your orders quickly.
Blizzard posts official BlizzCon schedule
You've got your tickets purchased, your hotel arrangements squared away, your bags all packed. You're ready for BlizzCon this year! But leaving aside the fact that you can probably unpack your bags now as you've still got a month to go, what are you actually going to be doing at BlizzCon? That's what you can find out by taking a gander at the official schedule, which tracks the events of the day on both Friday and Saturday for World of Warcraft, StarCraft 2, Hearthstone, and Diablo III. A floor map is also available so that congoers can get a feel for the layout before arrival, although that's of less interest to fans planning on taking advantage of the streaming options available for the convention. If you're thinking of buying a virtual ticket for the high-quality streams, take a look at the schedule and see if it's stuff you want to watch streaming live. Unless, as we said, you've already got your bags packed to go in person.
All hail Grommloc
If you were wondering what the BlizzCon 2014 pet was going to be, wonder no more, for it is Grommloc, the mightiest of murlocs. Announced via the official World of Warcraft twitter, this little guy will be available for those of us who get to attend BlizzCon this year, as well as those of us who purchase the Virtual Ticket. Personally, I find his little Gorehowl so freaking cute I can't damn well stand it. I hope he yells We will never mrrghlgrlrble slaves at some point, I really do. Oh, man, we need a lil' Pit Lord pet now for Grommloc to whack with his axe. Tiny murloc Mannoroth! You have to make this happen, Blizz.
