Project Lore

Project Lore made their way through the second boss in Utgarde Keep in the Wrath of the Lich King beta this week. The guys had tons of fun rolling through the trash but had a couple of hiccups once they found Dalronn the Controller and Skarvald the Constructor. Eventually they took down the second pair of bosses with style. Remember that stuff in the beta is constantly changing! Here's each episode's link in case you missed something: Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.7 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.8 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.9 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.10 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.11 Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.12 (Wrap-Up) Before we got started with this week's videos, we finally found out the release date for Wrath of the Lich King. 11.13.08. Nope, we didn't make that date up. The price and pack-ins were also announced for the WotLK Collector's Edition. We also found out that Onyxia's attunement would be lifted, temporarily. Random Heroes escaped certain death by bunny, and more is coming every week. SaintGermain keeps the Life Lessons coming, and iTZKoopA kicked off a series about designing dungeons and encounters with an idea for a hybrid PvE and PvP raid. We would like to thank everyone who participated in our Trash Mobs Poll. We got some great feedback, and it seems like you guys want longer episodes, so we'll do our best! Keep up with all of the happenings here with the Episodes RSS feed, the Blog RSS feed, or Twitter, and join our Facebook Group, Facebook Page, and MySpace! You can head to our subscribe page to find us on some of your other favorite sites. Remember to get over to the Lore Store to grab a Project Lore T-Shirt!

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Yesterday, we were one of the first to announce the official release date for Wrath of the Lich King.  The faithful day is just over two months from now, since this month is actually September.  A few hours after the announcement, Blizzard updated their page with the addition of the expected Collector's Edition of Wrath of the Lich King. Here are the goodies included in the Collector's Edition for those who may have missed the announcement:

• A 208 page book entitled The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King chock full of never-before-seen images.
• An exclusive non-combat baby frosty wyrm.  (This also unlocks an achievement)
• Behind-the-scenes DVD featuring developer interviews, the Wrath of the Lich King cinematic with commentary, and more.
• The official 21 track soundtrack CD.
• A Northrend mousepad.
• Two WoW TCG March of the Legion starters decks and two exclusive cards only available via the Collector's Edition.

The normal edition of Wrath is coming in at a $39.99 price point while the Collector's Edition is receiving a steep 75% market up to $69.99. The Collector's Edition of the second expansion is now equal in price to many full titles.  At first I was pretty upset at this.  For me the last two items are basically worthless perks.  The soundtrack and DVD are more of a one shot deal, as the information in the DVD probably isn't worth seeing a second time.  I addressed my appreciation for Blizzard's game music previously, and my opinion stands. In the end this means that I would simply be paying $30 for the art book and the non-combat pet.  I am not sure of the sell rate of collector's editions but if Blizzard manages to sell WotLK CE to even 5% of its subscription base then the “rare” pet is actually owned by over 500,000 other players.  Not that exclusive. But honestly, who am I kidding?  Of course I am going to get the Collector's Edition.  It isn't like any sort of whining would get Blizzard to change their mind anyways, it's to close to release for them to change production. That being said here is some items I would appreciate far more:

• Allowing purchasers to download and install the title ahead of time – think Steam's pre-loading service.
• Small action figures of the universe's main characters.
• An exclusive item other than a non-combat pet.  A spiffy cloth map that I could frame in my "nerd room" would be awesome.
• An invitation to a future Blizzard title's beta phase.
• A collectible t-shirt in sizes other than XXXL.

With the exception of the t-shirt item, all of these are fairly straight forward additions.  Allowing pre-loading would be the most exciting feature for me.  Heck, that way you can order the item online, sans tax and possibly shipping, and still start at launch.  That ability and the art book alone would have me paying the mark up and viewing the rest as just gravy. So are you as big a sucker as I am?

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A few things happened this weekend that have me worried about my PvE excursions for the week. As you can see by our chilly site, Blizzard Entertainment has officially announced Wrath of the Lich King's release date. Wrath is officially set to launch November 13, just shy of two months from now. Why does the launch of the second expansion have me worried? Simple. With a new expansion coming so soon, many players will go into a coma of sorts. Most will simply cut back on their playtime.   Perhaps in a squirrel like effort to store it up for Wrath's inevitable push to level 80. Then there are the players who will no longer see a point in putting the time in, when any activity they pursue will change drastically in a months time. Especially when the change will make all those efforts fruitless. Many guilds will take a break from their normal schedules and perform some house cleaning as they wait for the new content. The launch of patch 3.0.2 – which hit the PTR this weekend as well – will keep many people interested but I doubt my guild will be performing any Karazhan badge runs again. That is one half of the battle though.  So what was the other thing that has me worried about my PvE plans? Well, a little game called Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has gone live. The game isn't actually out until September 18th but Mythic Entertainment and Electronic Arts have a head start program if you pre-order the title. If you ordered the Collector's Edition, one of the bonuses is getting the server to yourself for two days.   That started on Sunday morning.  Then the people who pre-ordered the normal edition join you for two days before the game launches to everyone. I know many of my guild mates are interested in WAR, so if they aren't put off by the closeness of Wrath then they may head there to check out the title. Blizzard's recent timing of various announcements - a new round of beta keys, PTR character copying enabled and official release date – are an obvious diversion tactic from WAR as well. Thinking about it further I am not worried about raiding anymore.  Now I am just hoping my main's guild still exists two months from now.

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As you may or may not have noticed, our home page is looking a little cooler (get it?). Included in that look is a key piece of information. In Stores 11/13/08. That's right, Wrath of the Lich King will be available at retail stores on November 13, 2008. How close was that to your guess? That means we've got approximately two months (or less, depending on when patch 3.0.2 is released) to do what we need to do before starting on the epic quest to level 80. After that, Outland is going to be empty except for Death Knights and dual boxers. Is that enough time for you? Are you excited or dreading it? Remember to stay tuned to Project Lore for more videos from the Wrath of the Lich King beta in Utgarde Keep!

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Alright, I’m just going to come out and say it. I am dreading the new expansion, yes dreading. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very much looking forward to exploring Northrend, unlocking achievements, and charging into a new end game, but lately I have been looking to Wrath with a sense of impending doom. The reason is pretty simple; I still have too much to do in TBC! I’m sure there are many of you that couldn’t disagree with me more, but as someone who got into the whole raiding scene a little late, I have a whole list of goals and not enough time to do them. This sense of doom was only amplified by the recent announcement that the Amani War Bear will no longer be available after the next content patch. Yes, one of my goals was to set up my guild with a nice cavalry of bears. Other goals included downing a few choice bosses and earning the Hand of A’dal title, another privilege that could be taken away when WotLK hits. I understand why Blizzard is taking all this away, in fact I approve of it. These things need to stay special. Because of this, I’ve had November 4th marked on my calendar for a while now as the big due date. It is the drop dead deadline for me to get all this done (assuming Wrath hits when people think it will). What I don’t approve of is the news that the new content patch may eliminate my chances even sooner. My time frame just went from a defined date to “within weeks.” My hopes of riding around on my bear with a new title above my head are quickly slipping away. Now, with the update to the launcher earlier this week, the chances of the patch hitting soon seem to be getting better all the time. These titles and prizes should be special and would be much to easier to earn at level 80. I understand why they must go away, I’m just worried they are going away a little sooner than I would like.

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Oh sweet jumping Jesus.  Patch 3.0.2 is apparently creeping up on us sooner than I expected.  Blizzard Poster Zarhym announces that the bridging patch is going to be a large one.  Not that we expected anything less, considering the size of the pre-TBC “Before the Storm” patch.  I already touched on some changes that were announced when the patch was first revealed but the news of the impending download calls for an update. For starters, Zarhym warns us that this patch will be big.  So big that the flying skull wants all users to activate their Background Downloader to prepare to download the data that has been finalized.  It is also mentioned that the downloader should be downloading faster in general now.  Seems that they tweaked their torrent system a bit. The process should be enabled shortly. Even though we received the warning, Blizzard has still not added any patch notes to their site.  It's likely we will see some patch notes this week to elaborate on all the known changes. We also have some anecdotal evidence to hint at how soon the patch may be coming.  First off, the PTR forums have been wiped, which usually occurs before a patch heads to them.  I should mention that much of the new stuff has been tested on the beta realms extensively, meaning a PTR session could theoretically be skipped.  Secondly, the Launcher is now displaying a Wrath of the Lich King splashscreen.  Nothing groundbreaking or concrete, but evidence nonetheless. Here is some of the stuff we already know is coming with the new patch:

• Massive alterations to the way raid buffs/debuffs work
• A built in Guild Calendar
• New class spells and talents
• Stormwind Harbor
• Barbershops
• Two new Arenas
• Inscription profession
• Hunter pet changes and additions
• Zul'Aman bears no longer awarded

Get to work on those bear mounts guys.  I will be content with waiting for a Polar Bear though.

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As you may have heard, this week we are starting three weeks of Wrath of the Lich King beta coverage! To kick things off, we're releasing the first part a couple of hours early for you guys. In these episodes, we'll be talking about some of the new things that are in the WotLK beta and of course running one of the instances in Northrend. We're diving into Utgarde Keep in the Howling Fjord, and of course the game is still in beta, so things may change before it goes live. Here is what you can look forward to this week! Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.1 - 10AM PDT on Monday, September 8th Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.2 - Noon PDT on Tuesday, September 9th Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.3 - Noon PDT on Wednesday, September 10th Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.4 - Noon PDT on Thursday, September 11th Project Lore WotLK Beta 1.5 - Noon PDT on Friday, September 12th Remember to look at our subscribe page to find us all over the web, and use the Episodes RSS feed or follow our Twitter to find out when new episodes are out! You can also find us on MySpace and Facebook, so friend us up.

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I have spent the last two days poring over the various confirmed changes and future additions to World of Warcraft.  Eyes glassy and tainted with blue, I have finally been able to come up for a breath.  Blizzard Poster Gamnin kept most of us busy during Tuesday's short maintenance by posting an update to the Rogue changes and some new information on the Warrior class.  As with all changes, people are sure to be up in arms about something or other so I will avoid being 'that guy'.

Courtesy of Mick Stephenson

First we will discuss my favorite class, the rogues.  As mentioned in the comments of my previous Rogue post, Tricks of the Trade is the new level 75 ability and has been confirmed by Gamnin.

• NEW - Tricks of the Trade: The current party or raid member becomes the target of your Tricks of the Trade. The threat caused by your next attack and all actions taken for 6 sec afterwards will be transferred to the target. In addition, all damage caused by the target is increased by 15% during this time. 30 sec cooldown.
• Relentless Strikes moved to Tier 1 Subtlety tree and made 5 ranks, 4/8/12/16/20% chance.
• NEW – Overkill (Assassination Tier 7): Abilities used while stealthed and for 6 seconds after breaking stealth cost 10 less energy.
• Hunger for Blood duration raised to 30 seconds.
• Mace spec ignores 3/6/9/12/15% of target’s armor.
• NEW - Blood Poisoning (Combat Tier 9): All physical damage caused to enemies you have poisoned is increased by 1/2%.
• NEW - Filthy Tricks (Subtlety Tier 9): Reduces the cooldown of your Tricks of the Trade and Distract abilities by 5/10 sec.
• Shadowstep will no longer be usable while rooted.

The new abilities and talents sound interesting but choosing a good build seems more difficult than before.  I will reserve my anger and judgments for when we get closer to launch however.  I have never seen a point in A) getting angry over stuff that will likely be changed and B) spending so much time making a build when the trees aren't finalized.  Of course, I just had to end the list with something to piss off the PvPers.

Also of note, is that Blizzard plans to do something about five rogue Tricks of the Trade rotations.  Currently, there is no stacking protection but they are working on some way to avoid the need for it.

The Warrior changes and additions are interesting, just not as lengthy:

• Enraged Regeneration: You regenerate 30% of your total health over 10 sec. This ability consumes all Enrage effects and prevents any from affecting you for the full duration. Must be enraged to use. Cost 15 rage, 3 min cooldown.
• Improved Charge generates 5/10 rage.
• Mace spec ignores 3/6/9/12/15% of target’s armor.
• NEW - Warbringer (Protection Tier 9): Allows Charge to be used in combat.
• Furious Attacks modified to use procs per minute to nullify weapon speed differences.

I like what I heard about Blizzard's take on Shields in WotLK.  The developers hope to make the shield more of a weapon instead of just a defensive tool.  Adding that utility would make them more accurate to how they were used back in the day (see 300).

Oh and Warriors regenerating 30% of their health over 10 seconds...that is gonna be annoying in PvP.

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We at Project Lore are excited to announce that on Monday, September 8th, we will be kicking off three weeks of daily Wrath of the Lich King beta episodes. That's right, we've got Blizzard's blessing to show you a full instance run in Northrend straight from the beta to your desktop (or laptop). The guys went into Utgarde Keep with nothing but the epics on their backs and returned with tons of juicy info on a bunch of new talents, features, and areas that will be coming in the new expansion from Blizzard. Each week of our special will cover a full, real time trash mobs section, boss strat, and boss kill, as well as bonus footage and other features from the beta of Wrath of the Lich King. If you want to see what Blizzard has in store for the future of WoW, tune in! Remember, you can always find out when new episodes are out by subscribing to the episodes RSS feed or following us on twitter. You can also find links to Project Lore all over the web on our Subscribe Page.

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Oh BlizzCon, how I wish to be a part of you. Yes, that is right folks, another episode in my on-going saga to join the masses at BlizzCon 2008. I am not simply going just for World of Warcraft either. Yes, I was a hardcore raider during vanilla WoW before turning casual with The Burning Crusade but that is only part of my addiction to Blizzard Entertainment's products. My first Blizzard game was actually their epic Rock N' Roll Racing. But it is hard to be addicted to a racing title from that generation for too long. It was really Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness that drew me into Blizzard and StarCraft that had me addicted. But I was by no means a great StarCraft player. Great in my high school, yeah, but nothing special outside that. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos/The Frozen Throne was a different story though. I was an avid AT (arranged team) player, even winning a few tournaments with my brother. You won't find my name on any replays or in the Worldwide Invitational so stop looking. Just small local tournaments and one regional appearance. And like many of my generation, I learned to mouse click thanks to Diablo II. My point is, I really want to goto BlizzCon, not only WoW but all of Blizzard's properties...and the goodie bag. Despite asking for all your luck I missed out on the lottery drawing. The drawing was my last chance at receiving a ticket through the more official channels. When the BlizzCon e-mail failed to appear in my mailbox I turned into a new man. More grouchy than Oscar in Azeroth. My girlfriend was not amused. This morning at breakfast I started looking at the grey market once again. I refuse to pay the ridiculous eBay prices for my entry into Valhalla so I have found some other alternatives:

• Pixelated Executioner is offering a BlizzCon ticket for the best, original 700+ word story related to Wrath of the Lich King. However, the goodie bag is NOT included.
• Blizzard and its partners are offering an all expenses paid trip for two to BlizzCon. All you have to do is enter some information to be eligible. 25 runner-ups will receive a mix of SteelSeries (they make the Zboard line), UpperDeck Entertainment, Brady Games and J!NX swag.

So far I have only found those two contests, if anyone knows of any others please add them via the comments. Personally, I will likely enter both as they have to have better odds than the lottery system! Can't wait to read some of those stories. The WoW community is so creative that I expect some gems to come from it.

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