Q: What are the features of the new expansion?
A: World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King builds on the rich foundation established in World of Warcraft and its first expansion, The Burning Crusade, by providing a wealth of new content for players to explore in the harsh, forbidding continent of Northrend, home of the Lich King and his undead minions. To contend with the new challenges found there, players will be able to advance to level 80, acquiring potent new abilities and talents along the way.
Wrath of the Lich King will introduce the Death Knight Hero class to World of Warcraft. Furthermore, player-vs.-player battles will reach a new level of intensity with the addition of siege vehicles and destructible buildings, along with a new Battleground, Strand of the Ancients.
The expansion will also introduce an abundance of new quests, dungeons, monsters, items, and recipes, as well as a new profession, Inscription. Additional character-customization options will be introduced, such as new hair styles, available in the new barbershops.
In addition, World of Warcraft now has an Achievement system. Achievements are self-contained goals and challenges designed to satisfy goal-oriented players. There are more than 700 individual Achievements covering every aspect of gameplay, including world exploration, PvE, PvP, professions, and character development. Some Achievements come with in-game rewards such as tabards, mounts, vanity pets, and titles, and other players will be able to see your Achievements. All of these rewards are purely cosmetic and just for fun.
Q: Why did you choose a Death Knight as the game's first Hero class?
A: One of the things we knew very early on during development of Wrath of the Lich King was that we wanted to add an entirely new class. We actually considered several other class candidates before we decided on the Death Knight, but we felt that this was the perfect fit for the theme of Wrath of the Lich King. Since the expansion is set in Northrend and focuses on the war against the Lich King, it made sense to add a class directly connected to that conflict.
Player Death Knights will begin their journey in Azeroth as loyal champions of the Lich King, but they will later break free from his grasp and join forces with the Horde or the Alliance to fight Arthas. Players who choose to be a Death Knight will be engaged in the story of Wrath of the Lich King right from the start.
Q: How do you unlock or create a Death Knight?
A: Players who have a character of at least level 55 on the World of Warcraft realm they play will be able to create a new level-55 Death Knight of any race. If on a PvP realm, the Death Knight must be the same faction as existing characters. PvE realms have no race restrictions. Upon entering the world, a neophyte Death Knight will undertake a series of quests designed to introduce players to the class’s new abilities. Players will be able to create one Death Knight per realm.
It's important to keep in mind that even though the Death Knight is a Hero class, that doesn't mean it is more powerful than the other classes. It will, however, offer a very different playing experience.
Q: What role will the Death Knight play in groups and raids? How is the Death Knight Hero class different from other tanking classes?
A: We're designing the Death Knight to be able to fill either a tanking or a DPS role in groups. When deciding which type of class we would add to World of Warcraft, we took a very careful look at the current state of the game. Tanks play a critical role in any group, and adding another class capable of filling that role makes it easier for players to form viable groups for dungeons and raids.
Our goal is to make the Death Knight a viable, fun tank that coexists with the current tanking classes without replacing them. One interesting difference between the Death Knight and other tanks is that Death Knights don't use shields. We're aiming to make all tank classes equally good at tanking in general so that players can use whatever tank they wish for dungeon and raid encounters.
Q: Please explain the new raiding and dungeon design philosophy. Are Heroic dungeons returning?
A: One exciting new feature in Wrath of the Lich King is that all raid content will be available in both 10- and 25-person versions with completely independent progression paths. The look and layout of each version will remain the same, but each will be adjusted, tuned, and balanced for their respective player size.
In addition, Heroic versions of the 5-person dungeons are returning. Heroic dungeons proved to be very popular in The Burning Crusade, and they are a great way to add another level of challenge and reward for experienced players.
Q: What is the story background of the expansion?
A: Players last visited Northrend in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, in which Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner’zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful entities in the Warcraft universe. He now sits atop the Frozen Throne deep within Icecrown Citadel, clutching the runeblade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge.
Players will skirmish with the minions of Arthas from the moment they set foot on the continent of Northrend. Arthas will be a strong presence as players progress through the expansion content, which will culminate in a showdown with the dread Lich King himself.
Q: Are flying mounts allowed in Northrend?
A: Yes, although a character will need to reach level 77 and purchase an ability called “Cold Weather Flying” to be able to use flying mounts in Northrend. Some high-level zones such as Storm Peaks and Icecrown Glacier are designed with flying mounts in mind.
Q: What can you reveal about the new profession, Inscription?
A: The Inscription profession allows players to create glyphs and scrolls for themselves and others. Glyphs permanently enhance a character’s spells and abilities. Scrolls allow you to cast temporary buffs.
Q: What can players expect with regard to player-vs.-player combat in the expansion?
A: Players can battle each other in Wintergrasp, a new outdoor zone completely designed for world PvP. Players will be able to take control of siege vehicles in Wintergrasp and the new Battleground, Strand of the Ancients, and use them to destroy opposing buildings, adding a new layer of complexity to PvP battles. Players will also be able to battle each other in two new Arenas.
Q: When will the expansion be released? How much will it cost?
A: Wrath of the Lich King will arrive in stores on November 13 in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Russia, and November 14 in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. The expansion will be available November 18 in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Details about the release in mainland China will be announced at a later date. Please visit www.worldofwarcraft.com for more information.
Wrath of the Lich King will be available on DVD-ROM for Windows XP/Windows Vista and Macintosh in two packages: a standard edition, which will sell for a suggested retail price of $39.99 USD, and a special Collector’s Edition (in select regions) priced at $69.99 USD.
Q: What are the minimum system requirements?
A: For PC: Windows XP/Windows Vista (with latest Service Packs), Intel Pentium 4 1.3GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+ processor, 32MB 3D GPU such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or better, 15GB available hard drive space, 512MB RAM (1GB for Windows Vista), 4x DVD-ROM drive, broadband Internet connection.
For Mac: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later, PowerPC G5 1.6GHz or Intel processor, ATI Radeon 9600 or better, 15GB available hard drive space, 512MB RAM, 4x DVD-ROM drive, broadband Internet connection.
For a complete list of supported 3D cards, visit www.worldofwarcraft.com/supportedvideo.
Note that due to the evolving nature of the game, the minimum system requirements for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King may change over time.
Q: What are the recommended system specs?
A: The recommended specifications are the same as the minimum specs, with these exceptions:
For PC: 1GB RAM (2GB recommended for Windows Vista), two-button scroll-wheel mouse, dual-core processor, 128MB VRAM 3D graphics processor such as an ATI Radeon X1600.
For Mac: Intel Processor, 128MB video card such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or better.
Q: What is the ESRB rating for the expansion?
A: The expansion has been rated Teen by the ESRB.
