Websites putting a fuckton of WOTLK articles up.

[Velorath]

Gamespy
IGN (also have various interviews and videos on the main page as well)
1Up's writeup

Probably more to follow.  Haven't read through anything yet, but will probably start with gamespy's two page writeup of the Death Knight.


Edit:  Adding various quotes that I find interesting as I go through the articles:

The major announcement is one that should please anyone who doesn't have the means to be a part of an organized raiding guild, but still wants to experience endgame content. All raid dungeons in Wrath of the Lich King will have both 10-person and 25-person versions. So at level 80, every major encounter and every big boss fight can be experienced with a group of 10.

25-person raiding progression is not dependent on 10-person raiding progression. There will be no attunements or keys to obtain, and you won't be locked out of a 25-person instance if you decide to attempt the 10-person version, and vice-versa. 10- and 25-person raids both have their own, independent progression paths, though the encounters should play out very similarly.

This doesn't mean that organized raiding guilds still won't be at the top of the loot pyramid. 25-person raids will earn more, higher-level rewards, in what should be the equivalent of one "tier" of loot quality.

This sounds really nice for people who are more interested in just seeing the content rather than worrying about getting the top tier of loot.


A few snippets taken from the Death Knight stuff, but there's too much to just copy and paste all of it here:

All players with a level 55 character will be able to create one Death Knight per realm, per account. There was no mention of the rumored character sacrifice or of a lengthy quest chain to unlock this character slot, so it should be as simple as that. You'll also be able to create a Death Knight belonging to any of the game's playable races.

A freshly minted Death Knight begins at level 55, and is presented with a series of quests that provide a back story, as well as initiating the player to the game mechanics behind the class. Blizzard's designers decided to start the class with a full complement of abilities right off the bat, figuring that any player that has advanced a character to level 55 would be able to learn to handle the new class with minimal difficulty. Getting around as a Death Knight will also be facilitated by their skeletal Deathcharger mount, summoned in a manner similar to a Paladin's charger.

The Death Knight's particular niche will be in tanking magic-damage-dealing bosses. They will have an ability much like a banshee's anti-magic shell, greatly diminishing the amount of incoming magic damage they'll receive in combat. While the Death Knight should be able to capably fill in any sort of tanking role with some success, they should be ideal against bosses that primarily deal magic damage.

[Merusk]

Interesting spin there on the tanking.  Reading between the lines we can expect to see mobs that will nearly insta-gib the 3 other tanks.  That'll be amusing.

I like that they got rid of the "hit 80 then do a quest" idea.  That just sounded like another stupid cock block, imo.

Speaking of Cock Blocks, I wonder if doing a 10-man version will also lock you out of the 25-man raid.  If it's not the same gear, I wouldn't see the reason to do it, but hey you never know.

[Merusk]

Holy crap!

IGN: What were the missteps?

Jeffrey Kaplan: Not having the complete balance between PvP and PvE itemization. In the sheer quality of items you could get. An example would be the barrier to entry to doing something like Zul'Aman and the skill required to kill a boss there versus the barrier to entry to getting a pair of boots out of the honor system that are very high quality. Just not having enough levity there to balance out between the two. I also don't think we rewarded PvE enough, meaning not enough items dropped in PvE instances.

IGN: Just in terms of numbers of drops per boss?

Jeffrey Kaplan: Numbers. Like kill a boss and he drops one thing, for example. It's just not enough with the amount of people there, not when competing with the other avenues of itemization in the game. Some good lessons (included) learning about badge(s) of justice as a currency and that was very successful. Players enjoyed being able to pick what items they wanted rather than the game telling them, "Here's the random thing we're going to give you." That was very successful and expanding more on that system, I think, will be good. We learned that we didn't itemize our heroic dungeons well enough; they were too similar to the normal mode of dungeon and it just didn't feel rewarding enough when you did those heroic modes. So making sure that loot feels awesome and stands on its own tier and is not compared to the tiers below it.

That's a huge, and awesome change if it is exactly what I think it is.  It's yet another step off the 'raids are for catasses' platform.

[WindupAtheist]

This under the administration of Tigole?  AKA former EQ super catass raider?  Zuh?

[Simond]

Curse Gaming have got a preview and an interview as well.
Death knight sounds fun (says the ex-shadowknight player), as does the mounted combat and the Temple of Veeshan Wyrmrest Temple.

Edit: http://www.mmo-champion.com/ appear to be compiling the various bits of WotLK data.

[Modern Angel]

This under the administration of Tigole?  AKA former EQ super catass raider?  Zuh?

Kaplan IS Tigole, guy.

I think it's called finishing school, having a kid and getting a job. I know he gets a bum rap but every interview I've seen in his Blizzard stint he's always struck me as a reasoned, funny, engaging guy... don't always agree with him but certainly he's not struck me as the raid or die firebrand he gets accused of being.

[WindupAtheist]

Kaplan IS Tigole, guy.

I know.  Thus the comment.   

[Drubear]

I wonder if the hero class idea is how they're going to implement the /level command - drill thru one character to 70 (80) and you'll be able to open up hero classes if you want an alt and don't want to level up again.

Let's say they next open up a healer type and then a magic user type - all allowed on one account/realm. Then you'd just have to "grind" thru to 80 once and still get "useful" toons with not a f*ckton of effort (assuming 55-80 is more tolerable than 1-80.) Plus there'd be a lot of people doing the same so you'd be more likely to find people to do (let's say) the HF instances while you're levelling your "hero" toon.

[K9]

Deathknights sound pretty hectic, I wonder what their weaknesses will be.

[Modern Angel]

Kaplan IS Tigole, guy.

I know.  Thus the comment.   

I thought you meant "Tigole allowed this?" not "I can't believe Tigole just said that!"

[Fabricated]

Nice, a 10-man version of everything? That's one way to handle it I guess.

Hopefully the 10-man loot isn't too gimpy in comparison. It'd suck to have to go back and do the 25-man version of an instance you've clobbered in 10-man form in order to be properly geared for walking into the next 25-man.

[Oban]

Efficient use of code and artwork, nicely done.

So, how much longer do I have to wait?

[Merusk]

They wouldn't even give a hint of an answer beyond "Blizzard will always keep to it's "When it's finished" way of doing business. It's worked out well for us this far."

So, 2009.  You'll have plenty of time to get in some AoC and WAR before LK becomes an issue.

[AcidCat]

Yeah I really like everything I'm seeing, I'm finding myself quite excited for the expansion.

[Fabricated]

Holy Shit @:

• All raids having 10 and 25 man versions. That's a lot of work, and it lets the smaller guilds see all the shit.
• Blizz actually did what I wanted with heroics. They get their own loot tables even for the level-cap 5-mans (in BC level 70 5-mans still drop their regular blues on heroic), and may even get their own Tier of loot.
• Getting rid of the idea you need to get to 80 and do a quest chain to get a DK. Gonna be a lot of retarded DKs running around but at least it won't be a race to get one.
• Mwahahah, mounts with sidecars? I wonder what happens when you dismount in midair with someone riding with you?
• Mounts/machines inside instances.

[Paelos]

Either I will be already bored with WAR and ready to come back, or WAR will have been so awesome that I can't possibly fathom raiding again for fun. Either way, I'm fine with the outcome since this is taking so freaking long.

[Dren]

The sign of the expansion coming soon will be significant nerfing of ZA, Black Temple, The Eye, etc.  Once that happens, the expansion will come about 3 months later.  They'll want  more people to get to experience those places before they become obsolete, basically.

[Lightstalker]

We learned that we didn't itemize our heroic dungeons well enough; they were too similar to the normal mode of dungeon and it just didn't feel rewarding enough when you did those heroic modes. So making sure that loot feels awesome and stands on its own tier and is not compared to the tiers below it.

Except they also learned this lesson with ZG blues and crappy epics...  Cleverly solved by changing ZG items from Blue to Purple!  Then again with crappy Karazhan itemization...  I expect them to learn it again for the first time in WOTLK.  I also expect them to get their new Badge Fountain 'wrong' possibly making progression counter-productive and only for the hard-core again.  Actually, that's not a bad idea.  Then the only people progressing would be the "world first" crowd and they'll have time to finish the content before the curve gets there with their higher expectations on finish.

I'd like fewer client hangs, crashes and bluescreens please. 
And (in a related vein) a stop to tweaking the interface APIs just for grins. 

You mean like the easy-mode on Mag and the removal of attunments for MH and BT?  Nah, you are probably right that they'll reduce the 3 week phase 1 of Shahraz where you farm hearts of darkness to make shadow resist gear.

[Ingmar]

Nice, a 10-man version of everything? That's one way to handle it I guess.

Hopefully the 10-man loot isn't too gimpy in comparison. It'd suck to have to go back and do the 25-man version of an instance you've clobbered in 10-man form in order to be properly geared for walking into the next 25-man.

Why would that suck? If you want to do the 25s, just start out doing 25s. The 10 man gear will prepare you to do the next one... with 10.

[Musashi]

While I was watching that 10 minute trailer - with fantastic music and beautifully rendered in HD, I wondered about the timing of this information release.  All I could think about were cheeky WoW devs leaning back in their chairs going, "Age of what?  Conan?  I'm da Juggernaut Biiiiitch!"

[Simond]

While I was watching that 10 minute trailer - with fantastic music and beautifully rendered in HD, I wondered about the timing of this information release.  All I could think about were cheeky WoW devs leaning back in their chairs going, "Age of what?  Conan?  I'm da Juggernaut Biiiiitch!"

This is also why WotLK release will be timed to roughly coincide with WAR's launch. 

[tazelbain]

Na, Mythic did that to themselves.

[Fordel]

Interesting spin there on the tanking.  Reading between the lines we can expect to see mobs that will nearly insta-gib the 3 other tanks.  That'll be amusing.

All those warlock tanks will be out of a jorb 

[Ratman_tf]

I want to see Arthas drop a note that says:

"Congratulations! You've beaten World of Warcraft. Now go outside and play..."

[Kail]

Longtime World of Warcraft players will also recognize famed hunter Hemet Nesingwary, who's crashed his ship in this zone...

Godfuckingdammit!

[Simond]

I want to see Arthas drop a note that says:

"Congratulations! You've beaten World of Warcraft. Now go outside and play..."

Nope. Maelstrom/South Seas/etc next, then Pandaria(Pandaran PCs)/Xoroth(Worgen PCs)/Emerald Dream/Elementals Planes, then Argus/Against the Burning Legion.
http://www.mmo-champion.com/index.php?topic=1547.0

[Merusk]

Longtime World of Warcraft players will also recognize famed hunter Hemet Nesingwary, who's crashed his ship in this zone...

Godfuckingdammit!

 

I actually like the Nesingwary quests.  The key to doing them is pick them up as soon as you enter the zone, and just kill shit as you wander to the next quest objective.  If you try and grind them all at one time you'll go insane.

[Falwell]

In the Gamespy interview Brack was quoted as saying "We have zero raid bosses designed."

See ya in 2009.

[Musashi]

The key there might be 'zero bosses.'  As in not zero zones, items, quests, and etc..  But after TBC's atrocious early endgame (SSC), I'll wait.

[Tale]

This under the administration of Tigole?  AKA former EQ super catass raider?  Zuh?

Dunno about Tigole, but I played SWG PvP and WoW beta in a guild run by former senior members of Tigole's EQ guild. They didn't take themselves too seriously - funniest guildchat ever - and they were great, versatile players. The only downside was that once we'd followed one big idea, they would come up with an even better one, usually at odds with what we'd just done (e.g. build a SWG player city with awesome PvP layout, then dismantle it and build a better one on another planet - or reach level 35 on WoW's beta PvE server, then all restart on the PvP server). It was how they played.

[Merusk]

Yep.

Tigole and Furor weren't ever the Hardcore boys yelling "WORK FOR IT OR SUCK IT UP AND BE SHITTY, BISHES!"   (Unlike some folks in WoW.)  They just had the most fucking time and dedicated wayyy too much of their lives to EQ.  They were 'uber' because they lived the game, as sad as that is.   In fact, they were some of the first to bitch about the asinine flagging requirements for things like Plane of Time and Ssra Temple/ <kunark endgame instance whose name escapes me.>  Combine that with having to "back-flag" as you got new members and the ever-increasing raid size (up to 72 people) that then dropped down to.. I think 35-40 in GoD. 

That's where they got mouthy with their "fix this or we're fucking quitting, asshats" and folks only saw them as bitchy elitists, never really understanding the nature of the actual bitching.  The bitching was, "Hey, we had to recruit-up to 200+ members so we could constantly field 72 people for your stupid ass raid design, and now you tell us we have to sit-out nearly half our raid force in the new expansion.  Way to think things through, you idiots."

Of course, that just made it all the more ironic when the hardcore flagging requirements for Black Temple/ Mt Hjyal were announced.  Of course, it did keep the catasses entertained until they dropped the reqs for us normal folks.  (At which point the new-gen "hardcore" bitched like children about how their game time had lost all "meaning."  )

[Tale]

That's where they got mouthy with their "fix this or we're fucking quitting, asshats" and folks only saw them as bitchy elitists

That's all Furor and Fires of Heaven. I don't remember Tigole or his guild Legacy of Steel doing that. LoS was well-known because it achieved some firsts and was definitely an uberguild, but it wasn't quite up there with Fires of Heaven and Afterlife (led by Thott, of Thottbot fame), which also had a hissy fit over content.

The names "Tigole and Furor" only started being used near each other when Blizzard hired both of them (Tigole as a key member of the WoW team, Furor in a lesser quest design role).

[Chimpy]

The concept of multiple size tunings of zones is interesting, but I wonder how they will tune Naxx down to 10 man scale?

It is already going to be an entirely different mechanical zone as 25 man (hello 4 horsemen).

[Tale]

Reader comments on IGN are so insightful.

Posted by:  flyingchong5 on May 10, 2008 08:40 PDT

OMG,level 70 to 80,may i image that it will be a nxet next expasion,level 80 to 90?

[Azazel]

I image that it may well be the case!