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Comments: 281 +-   WoW: Wrath of the Lich King Release Date Announced on Monday September 15 2008, @01:05PM

Posted by Soulskill on Monday September 15 2008, @01:05PM
from the zug-zug dept.
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Mini-Geek and many others tipped news that Blizzard has announced the release date for Wrath of the Lich King , World of Warcraft's second expansion. It will be in stores on November 13th in the US and Europe. They've also released details about the contents of the Collector's Edition. Wrath will be preceded by a large content patch, which will expand the talent trees and include many of the gameplay changes set for the expansion (including the consolidation of spell damage and healing into 'spellpower,' achievements, and a new profession). The patch was installed on the public test realm yesterday, and the current patch notes are available.
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  • * "It'll be more of the same."
    * "You can never win an MMORPG. It's a never-ending treadmill."
    * "Thank God I got off that crack a year ago."
    * "It won't be as good as Eve/Warhammer/etc."
    * "Blizzard isn't going to get another one of my dollars after that DMCA bullshit."
    * "I'm waiting for Diablo 3/StarCraft 2."
    * "I hate PC games. Console games rule."

    I think I've covered the major ones. On that note, I have my copy on preorder.

  • That soon? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by MarkovianChained (1143957) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:17PM (#25014151)
    I'm a part of the beta right now, as well as a few friends and guildmates. Sure, there are bugs now given that it's beta, and I don't expect it to be bug-free at release, but... given how many fundamental things are broken right now (continents crashing regularly, critical talents for some class builds not working, etc), I wonder how they plan to have this out in less than two months.

    Then again, I'm a sucker, so I'll be buying it anyway.
    • Re:That soon? (Score:4, Informative)

      by Necroman (61604) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:35PM (#25014495)

      I've been playing WotLK on and off for 4 months now (alpha/beta) and seen it come a long ways in that time. When they first made it "public" only a few classes had new talents and abilities, some of which did not even work. Much of the landscape was unfinished (Dalaran barely even existed in the early patches).

      They need to clean up some talents/abilities, finish some content, but there really isn't a whole lot to finish. At this point it will be a lot of tweaking of all the changes they made. They know they can't get it right the first time so they will try to make it as balanced as possible with 3.0.2. Within a week or 2, 3.0.3 will be out to fix the critical issues. They are close, and I think it will be ready to go.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        They need to clean up some talents/abilities, finish some content, but there really isn't a whole lot to finish. At this point it will be a lot of tweaking of all the changes they made.

        Right, talents, spells, etc. are all things that are not actually part of the expansion, which consists of new content (new zones, factions, items, mobs, and a class). Everything else will be addressed via the Test Server and the patch that will precede the expansion, kind of like The Burning Crusade. Now that the new patch is on the test realm, I'm sure the talents and things will come along nicely.

        Should the talent changes and things like "spellpower" have issues, they'll know and push back the release

    • by gardyloo (512791) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:47PM (#25014737)

      continents crashing regularly

      That's what drives orogeny, you insensitive clod!

    • They move pretty quick. Also, you need to remember that the CD will likely just have patch 3.0 on it, and they'll push out any updates past that at release. Then factor in the time it takes to get to 80 (I know someone will do it in 2 days or something ridiculous, but I mean the average) and they still have time to tune things. Plus the endgame raids get tuned almost continually, so it's not like they need to be in completely stable state at release either.
          • Re:That soon? (Score:4, Informative)

            by MBGMorden (803437) on Monday September 15 2008, @03:43PM (#25016507)

            I'm not positive, but from what I've heard you have to do quite a bit of stuff before you're allowed to leave the Deathknight starting area. I've not played it, but most people I've talked to said that you'd generally make it from level 55 to level 58 before you could get out.

            I may be mistaken there though.

            • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

              You aren't. You have to do the intro quests to get out into good old EPL, much less the wider world. Until you finish the final quest in the chain, for example, all the NPCs in your capital cities are unfriendly to you, and jeer at you, throw things at you, etc.

              Fortunately, given how they implemented the starting area, it shouldn't be that bad. Crowded, but manageable.

    • Re:That soon? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Androclese (627848) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:56PM (#25014881)
      So basically...

      You are in the Private Beta right now and once it launches in two months, I'll be part of the 10 million player Open Beta?

      OK! Sign me up!
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      I was in both the Alpha and Beta of Burning Crusade. Even up to a couple weeks from release I thought they still had work to do, but they pulled it off pretty well. I see no reason why WotLK will be different. I would certainly expect there to be a patch after you install the retail game for obvious reasons.

  • by Petersko (564140) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:17PM (#25014155)
    Burning Crusade was a great add-on, and I expect that this new one will be just as good. Sure, some people will complain that they have to buy content AND pay a monthly fee, but I only have to buy it once. If they skimped on the content I'd be upset too, but they don't. I'll get far more playing time out of this add-on than I have gotten out of any other recent game purchase.
      • For 4 years of entertainment, it sure is. I've spent more than that on activities on one vacation before. $15/month for tens of hours of entertainment is dirt cheap, and $40 on an expansion every couple of years is nothing.

      • by Petersko (564140) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:46PM (#25014717)
        "19.99 + 29.99 + 29.99 = 79.97 so that gets you WoW, WoW:BC, WoW:WOTLK November 23, 2004 - November 23, 2008 @14.99 per mon = 719.52 for 4 years $799.49 grand total. Yeah, I mean that's a totally reasonable price for 1 game and 2 expansions.... or not."

        Or you could look at it this way. The add-on will cost you about what... 3.9% of what you've paid so far?

        I said that if you play WoW the add-on is a good deal, and it is. You're arguing that WoW itself isn't a good deal. You might believe that, but that's not what I said.

        For further reference: Straw Man [wikipedia.org]
          • Also calculating the total paid and thinking its expensive is just ridiculous, I mean, will he stop eating because he spent a lot of money on food?

            You're not really comparing WoW with food, are you? Really? I hope I won't have to explain how unrelated that comment is, since food is a necessity and WoW/[insert any MMORPG] is merely what you choose to do with your time...

      • by Yosho (135835) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:47PM (#25014745) Homepage

        As the other poster commented, $800 is a great deal for 4 years of entertainment. You can go on cruises or trips to resorts that will cost you more than that after only a week or two, and the only things you'll have to show for it when you come back are a sunburn and a t-shirt.

        Or, to compare that price to other video games: let's say that your average single player action game provides a max of 20 hours of entertainment, and your average single player RPG provides a max of 40. If you play a mix of the genres 10 hours a week (perfectly reasonable for a casual gamer, and way under the norm for a "hardcore" gamer), you'll go through an average of 1 game every 3 weeks. With a typical game costing $50, you'll spend over $1700 on games in two years. WoW is way cheaper than playing single player games.

          • You have a good point, but it's muddled in your stereotyping and misinformation. You're also missing the point.

            The good point is that a cruise has worth as it potentially offers you opportunities WoW does not.

            Your problem is that you overlook that the same is true of WoW. What the cruise and WoW offer are separate and address different needs. The comparison used in the GP highlights that.

            WoW is very economical entertainment, and very convenient. It fills the same niche as movies, books and television. For f

      • At even 10 hours a week, that's a phenomenal deal.

        52 * 10 = 520 hrs/year
        14.99 * 12 = $179.88/year
        $179.88 / 520 = $0.34 / hr

          • by Talderas (1212466) on Monday September 15 2008, @02:49PM (#25015717)

            All entertainment is based on the assumption that you enjoy the product being sold to the point where you're going to pay for it. Comparing the cost per hour of various forms of entertainment is a completely valid comparison.

            For example, let's say you go to a 2 hour movie for $8. The cost is $4/hr. Likely the enjoyment from one hour of a movie is going to be more than one hour of playing WoW. However at $0.34/hr WoW is hardly a good comparison. Is approximately 24 hours of WoW just as enjoyable as a 2 hour movie? If the 24 hours of WoW are likely to be more enjoyable than a 2 hour movie, then WoW is the better deal since you're getting more satisfaction for the money you're spending.

  • First Quest! (Score:5, Informative)

    by CorporateSuit (1319461) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:32PM (#25014425)
    "Zug Zug and Welcome to Northrend! To help with the landing efforts, we're going to need you to kill 12 iceboars, 8 frost basilisks, and 10 snow buzzards!"
    • Re:First Quest! (Score:5, Informative)

      by sky289hawk1 (459600) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:42PM (#25014625) Homepage
      Actually the first quest in Borean Tundrea involves you meeting the general in the barrack, and killing 6 crypt fiends. That being said, the Death Knight starting zone is a well crafted masterpiece with a dynamic changing world that helps tells a gruesome and tragic tale of your death knighthood. It was one of the best 6 hours of WoW in a long time.
  • by Dutchmaan (442553) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:50PM (#25014799) Homepage

    Then embrace sheer joy in the starting zone with interesting game play, a good storyline and the pleasant experience of phasing.

    Then set foot into Outland, feel your heart sink as you realize that you and thousands of others exactly like you have to do the grind to 70 in same content you've been playing for the last year, while all your friends tell you how great Northrend is.

      • by tnk1 (899206) on Monday September 15 2008, @04:30PM (#25017107)

        This is good for everybody, for those who want to roll a DK right away, they can hang out in plague lands and the outland for a couple of weeks while everybody else hits the northrend, less competition for quests and resources.

        You wish. The Chinese leveling service will be taking care of my 4 characters I need to get from 70-80 on my 2 other accounts while I play with my new DK on the third one.

        Northrend isn't going to be less crowded, its just going to be a lot less social. When most of the conversations are going to be: "You make me food/waterrr?" and "Ni hao?", you aren't going to have much witty banter. And that's assuming that there aren't whole guilds who have turned on Glider.

        Luckily, there's always the Barrens.

  • QUICK! (Score:3, Funny)

    by fragbait (209346) on Monday September 15 2008, @01:53PM (#25014837) Homepage

    Every gnome in the game get ready to get your pink mohawk! ...buncha sheep. At least I'm not bitter.

    -fragbait

  • by Tetsujin (103070) on Monday September 15 2008, @04:42PM (#25017251) Homepage Journal

    I mean, really... "Wrath of the licking"? ...Yeah, I'd like to see that one.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      Test Patch Notes Disclaimer: The test realm patch notes only apply to features that exist on the public test realms. We provide these patch notes to players who wish to know what features and changes exist in the test environment in order to more effectively test these features.

      To learn more about the Public Test Realm, visit our Test Realm Page.

      World of Warcraft PTR Patch 2.4.3

      The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/ [worldofwarcraft.com]

      The latest test realm patch notes can alway

      • Those are the patch notes for the last patch (2.4.3), not the current one on the test realm (3.0.2). Sorry, as GP I'm behind a filter, so I can't post the real ones.

        • Re:patch notes? (Score:4, Informative)

          by Fbelch (9658) on Monday September 15 2008, @02:00PM (#25014943) Homepage

          PTR 3.0.2 Patch Notes
          The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html [worldofwarcraft.com] The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/ [worldofwarcraft.com]
          General

          - All players will have their talent points reimbursed and will have access to new talents throughout their trees; this includes the 51-point talents. Several new spells and abilities have been added for all classes. Players will need to visit their class trainer to learn new spells.
          - The Kirin Tor have made their move and so has Dalaran.Please watch your step around the crater that has been left behind!
          - The Barber Shop has been implemented and you can now visit one of the Barber Shops in the major cities to change your appearance. Be sure to get your Shave and a Haircut!
          - The all new Achievement System has been implemented and the Achievement panel can be accessed via the interface. While many achievements are not retroactive, we have done our best to credit as many as possible. Gamemasters will not be able to grant achievements for past accomplishements.
          - Stormwind Harbor is now open for business.
          - New towers have been added outside Of Orgrimmar and in Tirisfal Glades. Crews are currently at work to establish a new Zeppelin route to Northrend for your travel pleasure. Please no /spit off of the towers.
          - A new entrance is now viewable in the Caverns of Time.
          - Hit Rating, Critical Strike Rating, and Haste Rating now modify both melee attacks and spells.
          - Spell casting and spell channeling pushback has been changed to the following:
          - When casting a spell:
          + The first and second hit will add .5 secs each to the cast time.
          + All hits after the second will have no effect.
          - When channeling a spell:
          + The first and second hit reduces current duration by 25% of total duration each.
          + All hits after the second will have no effect.
          - Spellpower:
          + All items and effects which grant bonuses to spell damage and spell healing are being consolidated into a single stat, Spellpower. This stat will appear with the same values found on items which grant âoeincreased spell damage and healingâ such as on typical Mage and Warlock itemization.
          # For classes which do not heal, they should see no change in the character sheet other than new tooltip wording.
          + Healing characters will see their bonus healing numbers on the character sheet decrease, however, all healing spells have been modified to receive more benefit from spellpower than they received fr

    • These are the Proper 3.0.2 patch notes...

      PTR 3.0.2 Patch Notes
      The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html [worldofwarcraft.com] The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/ [worldofwarcraft.com]
      General

      - All players will have their talent points reimbursed and will have access to new talents throughout their trees; this includes the 51-point talents. Several new spells and abilities have been added

    • well, there are those of us on Comcast that had huge issues with some of the patches when throttling was active. Nothing blows more than finding out that patch was 300 MB, you background loaded 290, and those last 10 MB take 2 h to get from blizzard's server at 32 k since P2P is disabled.
      EQ went to an "empty box" expansion system (all that's in there is the code). It means horrible downloads if you have to reinstall.
    • I don't understand it either. For whatever reason, they have always been horrible about online distribution. When I went to buy my copy (Original game and Burning Legion expansion by the time I got around to joining) I first went online to find out if I could save a little money by downloading without a box. Not only was the available download the same exact price as the retail box but they didn't even have one of the two packages available for download (I think it was the expansion). Why should I pay f

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      First off, not all of us are on unlimited, high-speed broadband. Second, in my experience the official P2P client is abysmal. There are vast numbers of users who never seed at all, making even small patches take an inordinately long time to download.

      The price of pressing and packaging discs is negligible, especially with the economy of scale that they're operating on. They're guaranteed sales to retail chains by the hundreds of thousands; a massive, lump sale like that looks a lot better on the spreadshe

    • 70 prot pally - shandris tank wtf!

      WTF? You too? Do I even wanna ask what your toon name is?

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          Hmmm, I got modpoints today, I play WoW, *and* I'm a zealot and a troll - yup, it's an evil conspiracy!

        • Yep, and we all have mod points today somehow... but seriously... I'm starting to wonder if the only people getting mod points and zealots and trolls...

          Don't forget the zerglings!

    • by skrolle2 (844387) on Monday September 15 2008, @03:45PM (#25016531)

      I will buy the expansion, and I will play, and grind, etc. I will not be happy about it.

      If you pay for something you don't enjoy, that's pretty close to the definition of stupidity.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      Unless you really have friends in the game, or it continues to be fun, just quit.

      I used to be guild leader of a guild in almost exactly the same spot (we had killed Kalecgos), and I realized sometime after the Sunwell patch came out that I was just waiting for an opportunity to quit.

      WoW is one of the best games of its kind ever, but you can't play it forever unless you have the right people there with you and you really enjoy it. Otherwise, you will spend too much time for too little return.

      I'm going to tr

    • I think it's probably an emergent property of the nature of the game.

      WoW has three advantages that make it uniquely poised to flood slashdot with news. 1) It's monstrously huge. 2) It's online. 3) It's social.

      For the first point, it's fairly obvious that having a large player base inherently means you have a lot of people interested in news about the game.

      Second, we can assume that everyone who plays the game has a basic modicum of internet skills. All WoW players are potential readers, while the same can n

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