Project Lore

Groups tackling normal modes in Icecrown Citadel no longer will be limited by a fixed number of available attempts, Blizzard blue poster Daelo announced on the official WoW forums late Monday. Here's what was posted:

After each region's maintenance this week, raids will no longer lose attempts on wipes in Normal mode for Professor Putricide, Blood-Queen Lana'thel, Sindragosa, and the Lich King. There will still be limited attempts in Heroic mode. We will continue to monitor developments in Icecrown Citadel in the future, especially since the Heroic difficulty has been unlocked by a significant number of raids.

A few hours later, Slorkuz expanded on the topic in the European forums:

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That didn't take long.

Blood Legion, a Horde guild on U.S. Illidan server, has earned the world-first 10-man Arthas kill, scoring The Fall of the Lich King and The Frozen Throne achievements as well as a Kingslayer title. And, from the looks of a screenshot they posted, the group also earned a little something extra... what looks like a giant, floating statue of Tirion Fordring. Ok.

So what does one normal-mode Lich King kill on the first night of its release mean? Well, I doubt that the fight is a walk in the park, or we would have seen more thrilled guilds announcing their success. There's still plenty of potential for other top-notch guilds to get their own realm-first 10-man kills, and then there's also the 25-man version, not to mention hard modes. And it won't be long, I'm sure, until we see more and more guilds making it to the Frost Wing.

So while many of us (including myself) aren't nearly to that point yet, let's dream a little. The WoW Armory now lists the Lich King's drool-worthy loot table for all four incarnations of the fight. And there's a little something for everyone:

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There's been one specific horse trampling his mark all over WoW news this week, and his name is Invincible. On the official World of Warcraft website Wednesday, Blizzard unveiled a page devoted to Arthas' horse along with the news that the Invincible Charger mount will drop upon defeat of the Lich King in Icecrown Citadel, on heroic difficulty. The site also goes into considerable depth on the history of Invincible -- in both life and undeath -- and just why he is so epic and frightening:

The mare Brightmane gave birth to Invincible as a young Prince Arthas watched with rapt attention. In the years following Invincible's birth, the horse and Arthas formed a bond that carried them across the warring nations of Azeroth, through the icy grip of death, and into the throes of battle. The stallion's coiled muscles were made for speed, and Arthas often felt that his mount flew rather than galloped across the countryside.

With the slightest touch of his heel, Arthas was able to convey his directions, and Invincible obeyed without question or hesitation. It was Invincible's unfaltering faith in his master that inevitably led to the stallion's death and unholy rebirth. On a cold winter afternoon as snow was blanketing the ground, Arthas was desperate to get away from the city even if it meant riding through harsh and unforgiving weather. Once outside, Arthas guided Invincible over a familiar jump, but the stallion slipped on slick ice, and the fall shattered his forelegs.With no way to save his companion, Arthas was forced to give Invincible a merciful death, and the prince carried that guilt with him for a very long time.

Years later, after the Lich King granted Arthas necromantic powers, Arthas returned to the grave where he had buried Invincible and raised his loyal servant into undeath. It was in this dark act that Arthas felt a sense of purpose. He believed that Invincible's death was not an accident; rather, it was essential to Arthas's destiny. Invincible was not bred to be a warhorse, but after he was brought back from the dead and made immune to hunger, pain, and exhaustion, he became the perfect steed for Arthas.

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This post may contain spoilers for anyone who hasn't played through the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. With the beginnings of Icecrown Citadel now on the PTR, it seems that the death of Arthas is on a lot of peoples' minds. If you've been playing Wrath of the Lich King, you're certainly at least vaguely familiar with the, well, wrath that the Lich King has brought to Azeroth. You've seen the destruction of waves of scourge under his command and the legions of indigenous peoples of Northrend enslaved under his control. But what of Arthas Menethil, the fallen paladin prince who ultimately unleashed the full power of the Lich King by merging with him? Arthas' story is, indeed, a tragic one. The only son of King Terenas Menethil II, Prince Arthas was a promising swordsman as a youth and a member of the purest paladin group, the Knights of the Silver Hand. He may have been perhaps a bit too quick to action, but the prince became a well-known, renowned warrior who, among other exploits, defended Quel'Thalas from an attack by a group of forest trolls. Perhaps the turning point in Arthas' life came with the rise of the plague of undeath. While investigating the plague, Arthas and his group, including Jaina Proudmoore, fight an undead army and encounter Kel'Thuzad, the plague-bringing necromancer. During this attack, Kel'Thuzad mentions Mal'Ganis. On their way to Stratholme and Mal'Ganis, Arthas learns that the plague is not just killing innocent people; but turning them into an undead army. Every soldier who had fallen while defending Lordaeron would become an undead puppet. Arthas, who wanted to be the one in control of the situation, was perhaps driven a little crazy knowing that even in his death, Kel'Thuzad had triumphed. As it turns out, this was the Lich King's intention all along. Although the prophet Medivh and Jaina both suggest that Arthas should head to Kalimdor and not to Stratholme, Athas' headstrong manner guides him against that advice. He drives onward to another spot of his unraveling. Arthas pledged to do anything to protect his people - even if it meant the extreme step of killing those who were on the brink of becoming undead in the Culling of Stratholme. Some viewed it as murder; But I see it as the tragic fall of a hero - Arthas sacrificed his own humanity in the hopes that it would prevent the spread of the plague. Perhaps haunted by what he had done, Arthas grows ever-obsessed with the intention of eradicating the plague. He tracks the source to Northrend and, once again in the hopes that it will help protect his people, takes up the cursed runeblade Frostmourne. As we know, it has quite the opposite effect. From there, the downfall becomes rapid. Arthas begins losing his soul and his sanity. He finally destroys Mal'Ganis, but only to help free the Lich King and take control of the Scourge. Eventually, the Lich King and Arthas become one... or do they? Perhaps with the approaching climactic battles of Icecrown Citadel in Patch 3.3, we shall see. Could Arthas' true consciousness still be buried deep within the Lich King? Or has he been so completely tainted that he never could be found again? I would draw a comparison to Star Wars' Anakin Skywalker, so consumed by the Dark Side that he lost his true self until just before his death. Take that a step further - what if, by chance, Arthas knew that taking up the Frostmourne would eventually kill the Lich King by giving him a human form, and he was willing to lose himself in the process? Would the end justify the means? Personally, I'd like to see the former Arthas come out once again (and it seems some of you would, too), somehow, in Icecrown Citadel. But even if he did somehow live and separate himself from the Lich King, could he redeem himself after all the horror he inflicted upon his people? If given the choice, would you allow Arthas to have a second chance?

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Blizzard has been surprisingly forthcoming with information on future content as of late. Normally so quiet about what's on the horizon, they seem to have broken their vow of silence either in an attempt to cut off data-miners at the pass or to simply engage their fans in a more direct way than they have in the past. Whatever the reason might be, we all win in the end. Sylvanas, as envisioned by Blizzard artist Glenn Rane. As a continuation of this campaign, Blizzard has opened up a Character Biography page for those Heroes and Villains most closely associated with the events soon to transpire at Icecrown Citadel. The first two chronicled are Lady Sylvanas Windrunner and Jaina Proudmoore. Who knew that Arthas was so popular with the girlies? Sure, he was something of a pretty-boy before he turned into the Lich King, but with his whiny attitude and bad judgment skills, I'm surprised that he ever got as far as he did! Despite my misgivings, it's obvious that these two lovely ladies have a huge stake in Arthas' fate. Surely, Sylvanas would love to notch an arrow right between his cold, unliving eyes. After all, he did turn her into a Banshee and force her to commit atrocities against her own people. Jaina, on the other hand... she's a strong woman, and had the will to shy away from her one-time friend when he started to walk the path of darkness, but will Miss Proudmoore be able to resist the opportunity to redeem him? We could see quite the moral struggle between these two atop Icecrown Citadel. So, if you need a refresher course on either character, be sure to hop on over to the bio page and check them out. Though most of the information itself isn't new to people who keep up with the lore, each entry details their vital stats, tells you what games or media they've appeared in (novels and comics are included), along with a short summary that shows you how they are associated with the Lich King. It's worth a quick perusal and I'm sure they'll be adding more bios as Blizzard ramps up to the release of Patch 3.3. Personally, I'd like to hear a little bit more about the lesser known characters -- perhaps those that we'll meet within the Citadel itself. What characters would you like to see detailed, readers?

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Death By Tar & Feathering? Patch 3.3 is so close that I can almost connect to the PTR long enough to play it.  We've been waiting for this content patch ever since it we revealed that Arthas would be joining the game dedicated to him a little late - by C'Thun the star could never arrive on time.  Now that we have the PTR housing patch 3.3, the first round of ever-changing patch notes, maps of the dungeons and lots more, one burning question remains.  How will Arthas die? Let's start with the more appropriate question.  Will Arthas die? It has almost become cliche that World of Warcraft's bosses manage to slip through death's grasp at the last second.  A large number of the best known bosses have merely been de-summoned, released from someone's control or regained their sanity (put down at his request).  In the case of the Old Gods, we mortals have been fighting parts of them, leading some to believe that we've only faced a portion of their vast power.  Is it possible that Blizzard could allow one of Warcraft's most infamous villains to avoid the grave?! Hell no.  The disservice done to fans by allowing Arthas/The Lich King to live would be unfathomable.  He's going down. Of course, then we return to the original discussion, how do you want Arthas to die?  Blizzard could go one of a hundred ways for Arthas' demise, so I can only tell you how I'd like to see him die.  That would be by Jaina's hand.  If there's anyone who needs redemption for all Arthas has done (that's still alive) it is Jaina, his former lover. Rather than another Maiev + raiders vs. Illidan team-up, I'd like to see Arthas go all Hulk on us, freezing our toons when we get him to zero HP.  As he's toying with us, attempting to crack our minds, Jaina pops out of no where to confront him.  Being the former suave Prince The Lich King tries to sweet talk his former mate, only to be struck down mid sentence by an icy bolt, and then finished off with a melee move from her staff.  Double tap, it's important.  Her icy demeanor would vanish as he falls to the ground, and then she'd weep over his fallen corpse (as we looted it) as she curses the gods for putting her in such a position. The odds of my vision coming to fruition are slim to none, but it doesn't hurt to dream.  It wasn't until I finished reading Christie Golden's book that I came to believe Jaine is the only person to send the Prince of Lordaeron six feet under.  How do you want the former paladin to go down?  What about you hordies?  You likely have a different view on this whole Scourge debacle since one of the leaders of your nation-states didn't date the backstabbing necromantic.  Although I hear Thrall has the hots for Jaina.  Just a rumor someone's spreading.  And there is that Slyvanas lady.  Perhaps she'll get her revenge in the horde script?

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With 3.2.2 finally out of the way, the Patch Test Realm is clear for the arrival of 3.3, which should be bringing with it Icecrown Citadel, if nothing else. Though not a peep has come out of Blizzard yet, it appears that the Character Copy service is currently available. If you've never used it before, it allows you to take a character from the server you normally play on and reproduce one with its exact stats and equipment on one of the test realms. Sindragosa in Icecrown Citadel If you think this the timing seems too soon, might I remind you that, at BlizzCon, it looked like they had already put a lot of work into Icecrown Citadel, even detailing some of the events that might occur as you progress through it (like the airship battle between the Horde and Alliance). Even though we've heard little about the encounters, populating a raid with bosses and trash is often one of the last things to actually happen when creating a dungeon (that's not to say they haven't already charted things out in some no-doubt-extensive design documents). Likewise, the freshly released information regarding the new three-wing, 5-man instance accompanying the raid leads us to believe that at least some of the forthcoming content is close to being ready for public consumption. Not to mention, Blizzard keeps talking about that Vanish fix like it's right around the corner. Quoth the Ghostcrawler:

"We have a change for Vanish in place for 3.3. You will get to try it out soon (tm)."

Even if 3.3 is expected to hit the PTR in the next couple of weeks, don't think that you'll be able to go toe-to-toe with Arthas just yet. Previous experience shows that, whenever they choose to start showing off the raid, they'll probably cycle individual bosses in and out on a testing schedule. And in order to preserve the secrecy of key fights, like that against the Lich King, they'll likely leave some out altogether. So feel free to go ahead and copy your character (I've verified it, it works), but be aware that if the real thing isn't coming just yet, they'll likely wipe all of the current transfers before 3.3 actually lands for testing. Can you guys sense it? That excitement? The final conflict of Wrath is right around the corner!

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Last week you guys might remember that I wrote a bit about my love of the Dragonblight zone and all of its lore-tastic quest lines. And I should have known I can't sneak anything past you guys! As several of you pointed out, I excluded from my post the major Wrath Gate cut scene and epic event that follows. Well, that's partially because I hadn't finished that quest line yet. But it was also because the quest line was so grand that I thought I'd dedicate an entire separate post to it. **Possible spoilers for anyone who hasn't played through WotLK content!!** You have to work to get to the awesomeness. As a Hordie, I worked through four quest lines to prove my worth: Into the Fold, Victory Nears, Strength of Icemist, and The Forsaken Blight and You: How Not to Die. From there Overlord Agmar offers The Kor'Kron Vanguard:

The time has come, the moment is now - our elite soldiers at the Wrathgate need you. The son of Saurfang awaits your arrival at the Kor'kron Vanguard. Go now, northeast to the Wrathgate.

Another quest line later, some Scourge defeated, and the fun begins. Start in-game cinematic. I'll admit it. the first time I saw this was before I did any of the questing. But the second time, after all that work, left much more of an impact on me. We (who aren't DKs) get our first in-game glimpse at the Lich King, and it's an epic one at that. Both Bolvar and Saurfang Jr., along with a ton of their accompanying forces, get fandoozled by the Scourge (who are parading as the Forsaken). I knew those creepy apothecaries were up to something sinister! After the scene ends, everything has changed. In place of Bolvar and Saurfang Jr. stand Alexstrasza and Korialstrasz, who you met in previous questlines in their humanoid forms atop Wyrmrest Temple. Those who still are alive are running around screaming, mourning the dead. And you're left to inform either Saurfang or King Varian Wrynn of the casualties, and deal with the remaining aftermath. I've heard that some thought the cutscene was a rip off Lord of the Rings - and I can definitely see the resemblance. But regardless of where Blizzard drew its inspiration, I think this was a huge step in the right direction. The movie gets both Alliance and Horde energized for the big event to come, which is another big WIN for Blizzard - The Battle for the Undercity. Whether you're battling Varimathras alongside Thrall and Lady Sylvanas for the Horde or smacking up Grand Apothecary Putress with King Varian Wrynn and Lady Jaina Proudmoore for the, in this case, ill-informed Alliance, the battle for the ruins of Lordaeron is one of the most entertaining events I can recall for many reasons. Not the least of which is getting constant buffs that transform your character into a badass as you battle hell-minions who obviously are confused about their place in Azeroth. But there's also a ton of great lore in there for those of us who love the storytelling aspect of WoW, and we see some insight into the current relationship of Horde-Alliance. The phasing of areas we usually see much differently was pretty damn neat, too. I had a difficult time tearing myself away from the computer after all that excitement. Blizzard's movie site explains a bit about their thoughts behind the cinematic that triggers it all:

One of the design goals for Wrath of the Lich King was to elevate storytelling in World of Warcraft to new heights. Northrend is brought to life by engaging quests, memorable characters, beautiful environments, and the introduction of a brand-new feature: in-game cinematics. The first of these cinematics, The Wrath Gate, is now available for viewing and download on the Wrath of the Lich King website.

Now since this is the "first" of the "cinematics" (plural!) I really hope that means more of this is to come in the future. I'm not sure whether they're considering the Ulduar cinematic to be another of these, since it's really more of trailer than anything resulting from quests. But at least it adds on to the storyline, too. And Blizzard has put out plenty of trailers in the past, but the in-game Wrathgate morsel really seems like more of a reward and motivation to me. It may be unrealistic knowing that cinematics have got to be pretty expensive to make. But I can't help it - I just want more! Don't you!?

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In the past few weeks here at Project Lore, we've had the pleasure of watching the crew battle their way through Naxxramas, until finally reaching the powerful "Kel' Thud." And while they've been busy up in the necropolis in the sky, I've also been busy leveling down below in Dragonblight. This zone has got to be one of my favorites in the game. The fantasy elements of WoW are a big draw for me, so a zone dedicated to the lore around dragons sucked me in. The valley wasteland known as the Great Dragonblight is a somewhat mysterious land littered with the corpses of all different kinds of dragons who have come for their final rest. But the Lich King and his Scourge legions have found use in the remaining skeletons, many which have been reanimated into undead frost wyrms such as the tragic Sindragosa and the very Sapphiron who now resides within Naxx. As for quests, the Dragonblight's offerings range from level 72 to 75 in the long grind to level 80, with a good few group quests, some giant elites to battle in the north and also several dailies. Both factions can pick up some sizable XP rewards (especially if you take advantage of rested XP when killing mobs) through questlines messing with the Scarlet Onslaught. Yes, the same baddies formerly in the Scarlet Crusade now have moved into Dragonblight in hopes of destroying the Lich King - and anyone else who stands in their way. I'm still trying to find a PUG to finish up Do Unto Others and the end of the Horde line. Another good line with some fun dragon lore lies in the Ruby Dragonshrine. And again both factions can partake, which is a plus in my book. But for me, the real fun came with visiting the holy Wyrmrest Temple, riding a dragon to the top and taking on missions from Alexstrasza, the queen of the dragons and guardian of all life on Azeroth. Plus, her character model looks really damn cool. She and Lord Afrasastrasz are involved with Horde, Alliance and neutral quests alike. And if you just can't get enough of her majesty, there's always the Defending Wyrmrest Temple daily that opens up after completing the Rifle the Bodies questline. You'll get to shoot down dragons while earning a little money, some xp and a bit of rep with the Wyrmrest Accord all at once. And as an added bonus, if you can manage to complete the quest in under two minutes, you'll earn the Rapid Defense achievement. That's my kind of quest. There's actually a ton more about Dragonblight that has really made me love this zone. I just have a couple more group quests to finish up before dinging 74 and moving on, probably to the dreaded Zul'Drak zone. I'm going to miss it. Has anyone else felt a kind of attachment to Dragonblight? How about any other zones? I'll admit it, I also still get nostalgic thinking about the many, many hours I've spent leveling in the Barrens.

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I remember a time, pre-BC, when the Blackrock Mountains were the place to group and raid. I unfortunately also remember having to pug to get my Light Forge Spaulders. I wasn't much of a guild person back then, so I would have to do the obligatory "Lvl 60 Paladin LFG for UBRS, PST".  There were always 3 strikes a group would always face heading into UBRS. 1.) Does your group have someone who's keyed? 2.) Do you have the DPS for "The Beast"? 3.) Does your group have the understanding of how to fight the General, (ex. the kiting strategy)? I can remember countless times when groups would just fall apart after one attempt of the General or when someone finally got their shoulders off the Beast and they'd say they have to leave because of something in real life and just force quit. Here we are two expansions later and we have a lot of new players to the game. I know quite a few people who joined in the middle of Burning Crusade's lifespan and never spent one minute in the old world dungeons. So they were lucky to have avoided the Excedrin (yes, the headache medicine) popping moments. But I'm wondering why were pugs in those dungeons so bad? I bring this up because since Wrath of the Lich King was released I've had to pug a few Heroics and even Naxx on occasion. The thing I've noticed is how smoothly the runs seem to go. Last week I pugged a 25 man Naxx group. Funny thing is we downed 3 quarters in under 3 hours. People listened. People did their jobs and did them well. This was incredible. Usually the more people in a pug the more drama, crying and problems you have or at least you would have had been back in the day.  Two weeks ago I main tanked a 25 man Obsidian Sanctum without vent and we downed it with ease. Even a run in Heroic Utgarde Pinnacle went surprisingly well. So here are three different experiences with the same results. Have players grown up? Are people finally "learning to play their class" as the old complaint use to be thrown around?  Has Blizzard done anything special to the game mechanics to make it easier to communicate without voices? You could say vent servers have helped but people have been using them for years and still have bad experiences. I'm just really curious to see if I'm the only one who's noticing this nice change in pugs. If you are experiencing a change why do you think it's happened? While I still prefer to run with my guild I can say that I really don't mind the pugs as much as I use to in the pre-bc days.

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