Project Lore

Blizzard released some more information on the new battleground that will be coming out in the 3.2. The first thing to really notice is that it is a return to form, of sorts, to the 'bigger' battles. With the release of WotLK we saw the release of Wintergrasp which is only held back by how many players the server can handle (which had a recent change to hopefully alleviate that), alongside the new battleground Strand of the Ancients which was a departure from the typical BG with the inclusion of vehicles. With Isle of Conquest Blizzard is opening a battleground that will support 40 on 40 player battles (the same as Alterac Valley holds). Siege weapons will make an appearance of course (SotA, Wintergrasp), alongside capturable locations (AB, EotS, SotA) which will open access to bigger and better siege weapons. One of the more interesting new vehicles is the Glaive Thrower which sounds as if you can assault the keep walls with it, or load up some friends and shoot them over the walls to engage the enemy directly! The system overall for this battleground seems to be very similar to the new design of AV in that the reinforcements are tied to how many people have died on your side in the battleground. I'm sure this is to prevent those epic seven hour AV sessions that were had before many of the initial changes (oh the good old days). But enough of me talking about the new battleground, why not check out the details Vaneras over at the WoW Europe Forums posted:

An island somewhere off the shores of Northrend. A rock, hardly worth a second look. But as insignificant as it may seem, this is no ordinary place. A sound of thunder as waves crash endlessly against rocky cliffs; a sound of fury as swords clash on the blood-stained fields of this island on the edge of forever. Welcome to the Isle of Conquest. The ongoing struggle between Horde and Alliance has turned many once peaceful (and some not-so peaceful) places into theaters of constant war. The Isle of Conquest is the latest such place, set to be the location of a battle of epic proportions over the island's precious resources. An Alliance and a Horde general are fighting for dominance, overseeing the action from the safety of their keeps. Whichever side manages to eliminate the enemy general first will triumph on the island; failure to protect your leader will bring shame, dishonor, and defeat. There is no peace accord here, and it’s an all-out war between the factions. Once More into the breach... Isle of Conquest, a new battleground scheduled to make its debut in the upcoming content patch, Call of the Crusade, will pitch teams of up to 40 players against each other in a massive battle over this small island off Northrend's northern coast. To win, your team will need to make use of the island's unique strategic locations including an oil derrick, a siege workshop, and a fully equipped airship hangar. You will deploy devastating siege weaponry on the field; Light have mercy on anyone caught between you and your ultimate target, the general holed up in the enemy keep. There are five points of interest on the Isle of Conquest for the factions to battle over. Each one offers its own benefits and strategic value. Which one will you claim for your side, and will it be enough to ensure victory? Capture Locations Consider your options before storming out of your keep to confront the enemy head-on. Spread throughout the Isle of Conquest are several capturable locations (as seen on the map), each granting a unique strategic advantage to your team. The Oil Derrick: Located on the northwestern end of the island, this smudge in the Frozen Sea produces enough black gold to run a thousand siege engines. Taking this resource garners precious reinforcements and a continuous flow of honor to the side that controls it. The Cobalt Mine: This snow-covered assembly, located on the southeastern end of the island, hides untapped supplies that must be harvested. Taking this resource grants reinforcements and a continuous flow of honor to the side that controls it. The Docks: The western shore's docks will further expand your selection of siege weapons with the devastating new Glaive Thrower and the Catapult. Unleash the destruction of the Glaive Thrower upon the walls of the keep, or launch your invading party over the walls to assault the keep from within. The Airship Hangar: This sturdy steel structure stands on the peak of Mt. Conquest overlooking the eastern side of the island, allowing players to board the airship docked there. This devastating weapon of war is capable of raining death upon the heads of your enemies and destroying enemy defenses. Once onboard the airship, players will find it comes equipped with parachutes enabling a strike team to drop into the enemy keep from above. The Siege Workshop: Situated right between the Alliance base and the Horde base, this siege workshop occupies a strategic hot spot. Seizing it grants the controlling party the ability to utilize an arsenal of siege vehicles perfectly suited to reducing the enemy keep’s walls to dust and ashes. Graveyards: There are five graveyards in the Isle of Conquest that are attached to different points of interest on the map: the Horde base, the Alliance base, an oil spill island in the center of the map (attached to the siege workshop), the northeast corner (attached to the airship hangar), and the southwest corner (attached to the docks). Main Objectives The Keeps: The Horde and Alliance keeps sit at opposite ends of the island. These citadels host four easily accessible defensive cannons set on the ramparts, capable of unleashing hot fury onto oncoming attackers. Additional explosives sit safely stowed in the base of the keep along the back wall. At least, they’re safe as long as they don’t fall into enemy hands. If they do, though, they can be employed to bring the stone walls down from within. The General: Holed up behind the keeps' massive walls, the generals command their forces from a position of relative safety. Should the keep fall and the general be slain, the Isle of Conquest will fall to the victor. Reinforcements: Isle of Conquest uses a reinforcements system similar to that of Alterac Valley. The clock is ticking and every individual counts. If too many of your comrades fall to the enemy the battle will end in defeat. Killing enemy players will reduce their reinforcements by one for each kill, Once your faction’s reinforcements reach their limit, so too does your bid for control of the island and the wealth of resources you’ve fought so hard over. An island somewhere off the shores of Northrend. A rock, hardly worth a second look. A test of strength. A chance to prove your might, to crush your enemies, to make a difference, a chance for endless glory and conquest. Will you seize it?

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After revealing the new Druid bear-form skins just a couple of weeks ago, Blizzard promised that we'd get to see the new cat digs, too. And deliver, they have! Well, at least for Taurens (though I'm sure Night Elves can't be too far behind). Despite not being into the whole "accessorizing" thing as the bears seem to be, I'd have to admit that the cat reworkings come off a whole lot more impressive. The new bears maintains the same snarling, wide-eyed look as the original, but the cats... oh, no, they're sleeker. Meaner, even. So fierce!

Gone is the old nose: flat, open, and generally odd-looking like a raw ham pressed against a glass window. It's been replaced by one that features a wider bridge and a snout that evokes the image of a Corvette hood slicing through midnight air instead of a mere breathing device. Heck, it even has its own ornament in the form of  a thick ring clamped between the nostrils. And then there're the eyes, pulled wider, and narrowed to be more menacing. No longer must we deal with our cats' electric green eyeballs and their gormless stare. These new felines are badass killers and their bodies have changed to match. Their comically large fangs have been worn down into fine instruments of terror and flesh-rending. Clearly, they've been doing their share of eating, as well -- the old, emaciated form with riblines showing has given way to dense musculature and a more sculpted shape. And, hey, look at those braids! Fashionable! Tribal tattoos, more-rounded horns, actual knees, and four (count them, FOUR) toes on each paw round out the fancy new package. Druids the world 'round are sure to be happy with what Blizzard's done for their cats, though there is still no way to tell the differences in gender (as was asked by a female audience member at a Developer Q&A during the last World Wide Invitational). As with the Tauren bear forms, cat skins can also be chosen by changing your skin tone at the Barber Shop in an upcoming content patch. Blizzard has expressed no intention to offer any upgrades to tree-form Druids yet. Maybe something special around Christmas time? *wink wink*

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You guys have spoken and we've listened. We have been receiving a plethora of questions from you, the Project Lore community. We have really been wanting a fun way to interact with everyone and tonight we will have the first of many community based wrap up shows. We'll have these every Friday evening, starting with episode 5.6 at 6PM EDT/3PM PDT. This episode stars another member of our team at Project Lore, Alexis Knapp, a level 70 hunter. She's going to keep you guys up to date with a wrap up, news, answers to your questions, and maybe even give a glimpse of things that didn't make it in the other shows. So, watch out for Episode 5.6, coming very shortly out now!!

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