Project Lore

BlizzCon 2009 is certainly gone, but it is by no means forgotten.  The latest, and greatest, convention to celebrate Blizzard's universes has given World of Warcraft players plenty of fodder for questions and concerns.  Not to mention increasing the general hunger we reserve for all things Azeroth (or things in another dimension that happen to impact Azeroth).  Even though the third expansion is a ways away, Blizzard has begun trickling out additional information and screenshots for Deathwing's return via the official Cataclysm website. The Abyssal Maw, the elemental plane of water, was chosen as the first zone to be detailed.  In sticking with tradition, the new page details the background of the zone as told through small snippets of lore.  We learn, or are reminded, that the elemental planes are creations of the Titans to protect their creations from the elemental minions of the Old Gods (ie Ragnaros) and the natural destructive forces of the elements.  However, Deathwing's escape into Azeroth rips open a hole between the planes of existence, allowing noble and nefarious factions to enter the formerly closed areas. Blizzard manages to tease a new Legendary item during the description of Abyssal Maw.  By way of describing the likely end boss of the zone, Neptulon the Tidehunter, Blizzard states that he "possesses a potent weapon that allows its owner to control the very seas of Azeroth."  And it appears that players will be able to get their hands on the powerful weapon, "the artifact has remained secure inside the water elementals' domain... but that will soon change." It's nice to see Blizzard following up BlizzCon with new information in such a timely manner.  Hopefully the company can keep the flow of information coming, instead of peaks and valleys.  In case you are wondering, the Cataclysm site is not bare outside of Abyssal Maw.  It also contains the introduction to the Worgen with Gilneas and the Lost Isles for the Goblins.

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I know my good buddy Bastosa already covered WoW-Europe's preview of Ulduar, but I can't contain myself.  Forget about the fact that my toon is a bit further behind his raiding accomplishments, this is new content we are talking about here!  Unlike my controversial post on Dual Spec yesterday (that it is a band-aid feature), I am pretty sure everyone is incredibly excited to learn more about the Titans and Old Gods as we battle through new encounters. Feature list:

• Fourteen boss encounters.  Eleven of these will have a "hard" mode for players who want more of a challenge - and extra, high item level loot.
• The area is split up into two sections, an entryway and then the dungeon.  Via the preview, an army lead by the first boss guards the rest of the dungeon.  The fight will involve vehicular combat, and yes, the vehicles will scale with gear.  The initial skirmish will be one of the eleven encounters with a hard mode.
• Confirmed bosses include Flame Leviathan, Freya, Thorim, Hodir, and The Iron Council.
• Yogg-Saron, the second known living Old God, is alluded to being the final boss.

You may have noticed that there is no mention of Freya, Thorim, Hodir, or The Iron Council in the preview post.  That information came out thanks to a post on the official North American realms detailing the planned testing of v3.1 and the raid.  Blizzard will be changing up their testing from here on out, possibly in an attempt to stop World First Kills from happening shortly after the content goes live.  Patch v3.1 will be tested in chunks (the above bosses being the first batch) that are only available during a strict timeframe.  Adding to that, the North American and European playerbases will be given different content to test at different times.  Furthermore, the territories may not even be allowed to test some content at all. With over a baker's dozen worth of encounters, immense scope and scale, Old God and Titan lore, possibly an Old God itself and stories based on Norse mythology, Ulduar seems like a can't miss.  Here is to hoping that the fights come out as fun and distinct as the first one sounds.  One question did immediately pop into my head after reading the preview, "Why are we fighting against Thorim and Hodir after we have done so much for them?"  Ideas? Also, Voltron reference...awesome!

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