Project Lore

Five years -- a fifth of my own life -- I've been playing World of Warcraft. Though many MMOs have been around longer, none have been able to sustain their steam (and, in fact, increase in popularity) for more than a couple years, let alone half a decade. And for all the bitching, whining, and idle threats of quitting, it's the fanbase that Blizzard has to thank for sticking with the game for as long as they have. With Icecrown Citadel and Cataclysm in the pipeline, I don't see those subscription numbers flagging anytime soon, either. That's why the company wants to show its fans some extra love as WoW's milestone anniversary approaches. For each week, over the next five weeks, Blizzard will be offering a different sort of prize for players to win. [caption id="attachment_8237" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Week 1 Prize - Taverncraft Beer Stein"][/caption] The first part of the sweepstakes kicks off with sponsors Taverncraft, who will be offering up one of their beautiful "Charge of the Great Dragonflights" beer steins. Normally you'd have to shell out $89.99 for this awesome piece of drinkware, but it can be yours for the exciting price of FREE if your account is active as of October 26, 2009 (don't try to re-sub at this point, it won't apply). That's right, all you have to do is simply be an active subscriber to enter the contest. No need to fill out forms or answer a stupid quiz. But there is something of a catch. Each week is dedicated to a different set of accounts depending on when they were originally created (though, once again, they must still be currently active). I'm sure some of you are shrugging your shoulders and saying to yourselves, "A fancy mug! So what?!" Well, perhaps a few of the other prizes are more to your liking (and, in general, the prices and quality only go up!).

• Week 1 (Accounts created on or before October 26, 2008): 5 players will receive Taverncraft "Charge of the Great Dragonflights" stein.
• Week 2 (Accounts created on or before November 2, 2007): 5 players will receive Gunnar Optiks PPK Gaming Glasses.
• Week 3 (Accounts created on or before November 9, 2006): 7 players will receive one ASUS ENGTS250 DK/DI/1GD3 video card.
• Week 4 (Accounts created on or before November 16, 2005): 5 players will receive a prize package containing one SteelSeries QcK Limited Edition Mousepad, one SteelSeries World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse, and one SteelSeries Siberia V2 Full-Size Headset.
• Week 5 (Accounts created on or before November 23, 2004): 3 players will receive one ASUS ENGTX260/HTDI/896M Nvidia video card, and one Game Card redeemable for one year of World of Warcraft game time, and one Autographed Onyxia Print with an approximate retail value of $19.99. 2 players will receive one ASUS Republic of Gamers 3D Vision enhanced laptop, one Game Card redeemable for one year of World of Warcraft game time; and one Autographed Onyxia Print.

Sure beats an iPod, right? Even the glasses should be handy for people who stare at the screen for far too long (i.e. most WoW players). Of course, the way this is set up, players who have been subscribed the longest have not only better prizes to choose from, but also more chances to win them across all tiers. Since there's no other way to increase your chances or enter the sweepstakes, I'll just say good luck to everyone out there! Hope you win! Even if you don't, remember that you can still pick up an Onyxia Whelpling from your in-game mailbox later this month. Sweepstakes page and complete rules can be found here.