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World of Warcraft cleans up UI for Warlords of Draenor
In a new dev diary, Blizzard vows to clean up the user interface in World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor. "We're making a number of changes to the WoW user interface -- changes that are designed to eliminate clutter, free up more of your inventory space, help you find your stuff more easily, and improve your quality of life in-game," say the devs. The changes begin with a new UI that combines the map and quest log and promises to be more responsive to mouse control. The expansion will also feature a "toy box" that will collect all of a player's fun items in one place and make them available across the entire account. Players will also be able to use the improved UI to summon a random mount, designate loot to certain bags, enjoy reagent storage space in the bank, and more.
World of Warcraft features its next Lord of War: Durotan
World of Warcraft's Lords of War lore series has so far regaled fans with the backstories of Kargath Bladefist and Grommash Hellscream in the lead up to Warlords of Draenor's launch. So who's up next? If you guessed "an Orc," you're right: It's Durotan, Warchief of the Frostwolf clan, the kinder, gentler Orc. Enjoy the full clip below.
World of Warcraft outlines anniversary plans, delays Draenor raid
Blizzard has released a new World of Warcraft dev blog clarifying its 10th anniversary plans in light of Warlords of Draenor's impending launch on November 13th. In short, the festivities will begin on November 21st and run until well after the holidays on January 6th. Those who pony up for a sub in that time period will be awarded the Molten Corgi minipet. If you rush to the new level cap in time, you'll also be able to play through the new level-capped Molten Core raid; if not, then you can still play the new Southshore vs. Tarren Mill battleground, which comes in both level 90-99 and level 100 brackets. Blizzard further notes that the new PvP season and the normal and heroic versions of Draenor's first raid dungeon, Highmaul, will not open until December 2nd to "make sure that everyone [has] had time to level up." Highmaul's LFR and mythic modes will open another week after that. Massively's sister site WoW Insider also has some good news for Draenor devotees this morning: It appears that facial recustomization is now part of the regular barber shop in beta, possibly alleviating the fears of those worried about being saddled with an ugly pixel face once the new race models are live.
World of Warcraft's Draenor Q&A, Grommash Hellscream lore
World of Warcraft generated plenty of news this past weekend! First, our sister site WoW Insider published an overview of last Friday's developer Q&A. The studio confirmed earlier reports that Warlords of Draenor was being worked on before Mists of Pandaria launched, as well as clarified Draenor's timeline (35 years in the past), noted that some garrison buildings will be account-wide, and promised no rep or PvP grinds for legendaries. Second, Blizzard posted up the another entry in its five-part series discussing the lore of major NPCs in Draenor. This video entry, included at the end of this post, covers Grommash Hellscream, chieftain of the Warsong clan. Finally, a Venturebeat piece showed WoW's soft side: A WoW-playing Alabama woman, stricken with a terminal illness, was showered with funding and support from both Blizzard and the WoW community in her attempt to attend this year's BlizzCon.
PAX Prime 2014: Hands-on with Warlords of Draenor
If you've played World of Warcraft once, have you played it for all time? I was wondering this as I slipped back into Azeroth for a look at the upcoming Warlords of Draenor expansion at PAX Prime. After all, it had been three years and two expansions since I've really played this MMO, but as I learned, even new shinies don't make this game feel any more or less like the good ol' WoW that I remember. The floor demo allowed us to create instant level 90 characters and jump into the second zone, Shadowmoon Valley. I selected a character at random and naturally ended up with a Shadow Priest, a class that I've never played. Figures. I spent a minute selecting a specialization, random talents, and outfitting my hotbar with enough of a skill rotation that I wouldn't be laughed out of the next Priest conclave. Then it was off to check out this brand-new zone.
Blizzard's Tom Chilton on World of Warcraft's slow content pace
Blizzard's Tom Chilton has been making the rounds this week in one candid interview after another. World of Warcraft website Icy Veins recently asked him directly why recent content releases haven't been meeting the originally planned six-month cadence, and Chilton didn't dodge, explaining that scaling the team up to make Warlords of Draenor resulted in a slower-than-desired pace for releases: We did a good job earlier in Mists of Pandaria, having the content come at a more frequent intervals, and certainly we had hoped to have Warlords of Draenor out a couple of months ago. The reality is that scaling up the number of people that we have, to work on multiple projects at once has slowed us down. Honestly, it should have not come as a surprise to us. We increased the size of the team by 50% and the majority of those people had never worked on World of Warcraft before or any other MMO, so it is really difficult for them to create content right away, without getting up to speed. So we ended up redoing a lot of the content that we were doing for Warlords to make sure that we would get it at the quality level that we would expect. Also, the garrison feature turned into a bigger thing than we expected it to be. Quality is the most important thing, so if we have to make a choice between getting you something two months ago or getting you a great expansion in November, the choice is obvious. I think we are in a better position now for the future, we already have zones in production for our next expansion. So, if things go well, there will be less of a gap. Chilton also discusses alternative subscription models for niche players (there are no plans for such), the possibility of making Outland and Northrend parallel level 60-80 content paths, and the potential for visual and aural upgrades beyond character models.
Blizzard is already working on World of Warcraft's sixth expansion
Warlords of Draenor? That's yesterday's news, my friend. The progressive World of Warcraft player should already be looking forward to expansion number six, which Blizzard says is in full production. Game Director Tom Chilton confirmed that the team is already hard at work at the follow-up to Warlords of Draenor. "We already have zones in production for it," he said to Gameplanet, adding that the team will also be looking at the theme for the seventh expansion "over the next several months." Chilton indicated that World of Warcraft has a long life yet to come: "Beyond that, there are about six or seven different ideas for expansions that we can take elements of and say, 'You know what? Let's take that and put it in this one for our next expansion after the next one.' [...] As long as there are enough players demanding that we make more content then we're likely to do so. I think it'll be quite a while before the financials indicate that it's just not worth doing anymore."
Check out Warlords of Draenor's collector's edition
With yesterday's announcement of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor's launch date fresh on fans' minds, Blizzard has followed up on the hype with details concerning the contents of the expansion's collector's edition. The CE, which is priced at $89.99 on Amazon, includes the full game, a behind-the-scenes DVD/Blu-ray set, the soundtrack, a 160-page art book, and a mouse pad. Of course, if digital goodies are more your style, then you'll be happy to know that you'll get a Dread Raven mount and Dread Hatchling pet for World of Warcraft, two StarCraft II portraits, a pennant for Diablo III, and a custom card back for Hearthstone. Blizzard said that supplies of the collector's edition are limited.
World of Warcraft adding party finder functionality
World of Warcraft is expanding the functionality of its group finder tool in Warlords of Draenor so that making a group is easier than just inviting your friends and shouting in a city. The new group finder interface is designed to help players locate parties looking for the same content, from pre-made PvP groups to teams trying to take out a particularly obnoxious group quest in the zone. Group finder groups can be designated for PvE or PvP, with the former allowing for a variety of group-based PvE encounters (quests, dungeons, raids) and the latter opening up for PvP options (rated battlegrounds, arenas of all sizes, faction leader assaults, and so on). Players can either join a group or start a new one, with leaders setting both the designated goal and the requirements for would-be party members to join. Take a look at the full preview for more information on this expanded functionality.
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor releasing November 13th
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor will be coming to players this November 13th. "The age of the whimsical panda is over!" Chris Metzen proclaimed to a crowd of cheering fans at the Ace Theatre in Los Angeles. During the street date announcement, Blizzard talked about the lore of the expansion and showed the first episode of a new five-part animated lore mini-series called Lords of War. The studio also showed the opening cinematic for Warlords of Draenor, after which the release date was mentioned for the first time. We've got the first episode of Lords of War, the animated series teaser, and the cinematic for you after the break!
World of Warcraft spotlights Draenor's new Troll models
Today's World of Warcraft Artcraft blog is all about Trolls. No, not the trolls who plague internet comment sections everywhere; the playable Troll race that outcools all the other Horde races. Blizzard's Chris Robinson spotlights the new models for both the male and female Trolls, noting that the race's tusks posed "unique challenges": In the character customization options, you have the ability to select from a number of tusk "styles." While other race models (like the Tauren) have similar customization options, the additional modeling, texturing, and animation articulation of the Troll face-and mouth especially-made this a distinctive challenge. We actually had to model the Troll with a flat lower lip; then, for each facial customization option, we went in and posed their lips to naturally wrap around each tusk option. We've included a pic of the female Trolls below.
The Think Tank: Predicting the launch of Warlords of Draenor
We teased Blizzard on Monday for announcing an announcement date for the release date for World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, but the truth is, even MMO players who don't play WoW are a little curious about when the expansion will release and how it might impact other MMOs we all play. That release date is what the Massively team is talking about today; we're issuing our predictions for launch date. Join us in the comments!
Build an inn or trading post in World of Warcraft's Spires of Arak zone
Are you a fan of the arakkoa, World of Warcraft's avian humanoids? Blizzard Game Designer Don Adams and Associate Quest Designer Johnny Cash are betting you are, which is why they've brought back the sqwawking Burning Crusade beasties in Warlords of Draenor, complete with a "fancy new model." In a dev blog posted today, the duo discuss the Spires of Arak zone, in which the arakkoa aren't quite as evil as they later become in the BC timeline. Over the course of the zone, you're helping [a] shady resistance group of cursed arakkoa to make their final stand. You're learning about the curse they bear, the ancient gods of their land, and the very real threat posed by the Adherents of Rukhmar, the ruling caste of zealous arakkoa in Skyreach. Your adventure leads to two climactic events in the zone: one involving the plight of the outcasts against the flying arakkoa, and another focusing on the Shattered Hand fortress of Bladefist Hold. Of interest is Cash's note that players can choose to "construct an Inn to help [them] house more soldiers and supplies or a Trading Post to establish trade agreements with friendly locals," thereby unlocking unique questlines and gaining access to special perks in the zone, like quicker hearthing and easier access to rested experience.
World of Warcraft's Nagrand will be familiar to Burning Crusade players
The one question that I always had about World of Warcraft's Nagrand zone wasn't how those giant rocks floated about in the sky but how some of them could produce endless waterfalls stemming from an unknown source. Did a wizard do that? It was probably a wizard. While this question may never be answered, we'll have a second opportunity to explore the great mysteries of Nagrand with Warlords of Draenor. Blizzard pushed out a new preview today of the ancient version of Nagrand and talked a little about what players will be discovering. "We very much wanted to respect what people really enjoyed about their experience in Nagrand in The Burning Crusade and capture that, while still providing a twist to what you'll experience there," the studio said. Nagrand is supposed to feel the "most familiar" of all of Draenor's zones, although it will boast a new exciting elemental storyline and tons of easter eggs to the dedicated fan.
World of Warcraft announces the release date of the release date of Warlords of Draenor
Good news, World of Warcraft fans! Warlords of Draenor doesn't have a release date yet, but we now have a release date for its release date. Yes, Blizzard is hosting a big event on August 14th to unveil the game's opening cinematic, which will also reveal the date when Warlords of Draenor is releasing. The whole event will be streaming for free online, or if you're in Los Angeles, you can head down to the Ace Theater and view it in person. In the event that you make the trek out to the theater, you'll be duly rewarded with a beta key for Warlords of Draenor and you'll get to enjoy sitting in the same room with the minds behind the expansion. Doors open on location at 8:30 a.m. PDT, with streaming starting at 12:30 p.m. EDT (9:30 a.m. PDT). Then you can enjoy the release... of the release.
World of Warcraft adds the Alliance motorcycle after all
In a twist that will stun everyone who is easily stunned, it turns out that the Alliance chopper is indeed being added to World of Warcraft with the arrival of Warlords of Draenor. Those of you who watched Azeroth Choppers from start to finish might have been surprised at the whole idea of only one bike design seeing implementation, but odds are you (and pretty much everyone else) saw this coming. Worth noting, however, is that the chopper will cost money and will be available only to Alliance players. By contrast, the Horde chopper will be given away for free to players who log in before September 30th. Since it will not be possible for the opposite faction to ride a given chopper, this does mean that the Alliance version will end up being something of a gold sink for Alliance-only players. But, hey, you're getting it in the game; isn't that the important part?
WoW's Warlords of Draenor expansion is making faces at you
When Blizzard launches World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor expansion later this year, players will be getting more than just the long-awaited character body model upgrades; they're also getting new facial geometry. Art Director Chris Robinson wrote today on the game's official blog, Our next big focus is doing justice to the facial options. With the original models and their simplistic geometry and low-resolution textures, a lot of facial expressions were simply painted on. Now that we've moved to higher-polygon models with lips, teeth, and fully articulated faces-not to mention higher-resolution textures-recreating those same facial options isn't as simple as painting them onto a flat surface. Previously, to get a sneer out of a model, you'd just paint a sneer on its face, and that was that. To do it correctly now-and make it look great-we have to fully pose a sneer, create a custom texture, and mesh that base pose with all of the existing emotes and animations. Robinson also said that Blizzard is "committed" to launching all of the new models together rather than roll them out independently post-launch, but a later tweet indicated that Blood Elf models will not make it in for launch.
World of Warcraft shows off revamped Tauren ladies
As Warlords of Draenor approaches release, the art team behind World of Warcraft continues finishing the revamped models for the game's races. The latest race to get a revamp is the female Tauren; while male Tauren have been in the beta client for quite some time, players have until now seen only quick shots of what the new female model would look like. Now you can see her in all her glory, and even at a glance it's a massive improvement. The original model was extremely angular and low-detail due to the technology available when the game was first made, but the revamped model has much more definition in her fur and body shape. The only big silhouette change is a shrinking of her hands, with the official design blog calling the original model's hands "out of control." Take a peek at the official preview for more details on the updated ladycows.
WoW's Warlords of Draenor beta: Questing, mechanics, and concerns
Tell me if this sounds familiar if you've played World of Warcraft: Your faction's forces are unexpectedly trapped in a strange new world with some familiar elements but a large number of unfamiliar ones. You are facing both the other faction and a new almost unknown foe, forcing you to seek allies immediately. Unfortunately for you, the local inhabitants have their own customs and lives, and you're going to need to start forging alliances to deal with this largely alien region. Yes, that's the Warlords of Draenor starting experience as well as the Mists of Pandaria starting experience. What sets the two apart, aside from MoP's clever use of mini-hubs moving out in a sort of spiderweb fashion, is that MoP approached its story by easing up on the pressure early in the plot. You start settling into a rhythm, putting down the conflict with the enemy a little more, dealing with the inhabitants on their terms. The overarching conflict was there, but it had time to fade into the background. Not so here; the conflict with the Iron Horde squats on your shoulder and screams at you, crow-like, preventing you from thinking even for a second that you might want to explore this strange fantasy world.
WoW's Warlords of Draenor beta: The disappointment of garrisons
Once a player finishes the introductory quests for Warlords of Draenor, the Horde and Alliance gangs go in separate directions, and I had slightly higher hopes for the rest of my beta experience. The introduction was kind of a wash, a climactic third act delivered we'd been left out of the first two acts unless we'd read novels and participated in an event that's not yet live. But Shadowmoon Valley was where I could start seeing the pure promise of this expansion realized, the beautiful idea of a Draenor still filled with Draenei before the corruption and assault of the Horde, an alien landscape far from what was familiar on Azeroth. Not too far, of course, but just far enough to feel like we'd really come to a strange new place. And, of course, the first thing you do is unlock your Garrison. If my first impression of the WoD beta, which I posted last week, was negative, then this is where it took a sharp nosedive into something resembling rage. But let me start off with a statement that might seem to make no sense, in this context: I've always been fine with housing never being a part of World of Warcraft.
