WoW News

If you’ve been holding your breath waiting to find out when and where the next BlizzCon would be held, then… you’ve probably passed out by now. But if you’ve just been patiently watching for an announcement, then we’ve got good news for you: BlizzCon will be returning to the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, October 22 through Saturday, October 23! Just as in years past, BlizzCon 2010 will feature an exciting mix of discussion panels, tournaments, hands-on gameplay, contests, and much more. Check out the announcement press release, and keep an eye on www.blizzcon.com in the months ahead for further details, including ticketing information.

The latest World of Warcraft patch (3.3.3) is now live! In this update, players will be able to queue up for combat in the new Random Battleground system, which functions similarly to the Dungeon Finder and allows players to earn bonus PvP rewards. In addition, the new patch heralds increased Honor accumulation rates, a bevy of class changes and profession improvements, a new and improved way to access holiday bosses, a host of user-interface improvements, and much more. Read the full patch notes here — and happy randomizing!

The Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless Headset from Creative Labs is now available throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. The headset features a slick design with built-in headset controls, illuminated Horde and Alliance glyphs, advanced 2.4GHZ wireless technology, THX Tru Studio PC audio, and more. For more information, visit the Sound Blaster website, or check out what the critics are saying over at Tom’s Guide, PC World, and IGN.

Cataclysm will alter the face of Azeroth forever, but the landscape isn’t the only thing that’s changing. As part of our ongoing look at how stats and other game systems are evolving in the expansion, we’ve posted an in-depth preview of the Mastery system, a set of new game mechanics that will allow players to become better at what makes their chosen talent tree cool or unique.

Learn more about Mastery in our new forum post, or check out our previous article on stat changes to find out how the new system fits into the big picture.

Four worthy individuals heard the Rise to Power contest’s call and provided us with the tales of ascension we requested. Their cinematic mastery, backed by storytelling expertise, has earned them the recognition they so richly deserve. We congratulate Greyfoo, Malamenz, Phoenixmgn, and Shunahe as our Grand Prize winners. Each will receive $2,400 credit towards an All Powerful Alienware desktop or laptop. To watch the four winning submissions, click here.

High Tinker Mekkatorque, betrayed by Mekgineer Thermaplugg and forced to flee the irradiated city of Gnomeregan with the few of his fellow gnomes who managed to survive, is preparing to reclaim his once glorious city. Meanwhile, in distant Durotar, Vol’jin of the Darkspear trolls is determined to exact revenge upon the witch doctor Zalazane for dividing the Darkspears and seizing the land bestowed to them by Thrall: the Echo Isles. Read more about the ongoing struggles of the gnomes and the trolls… and their plans to seek redemption.

We’ve added yet another in-depth interview with one of World of Warcraft’s millions of players for our five-year anniversary site. Luek from U.S. realm The Underbog shares his views on his last five years of dynamic and fluctuating gameplay focuses, particularly with regard to PvP, and provides some insight on where he sees himself once Cataclysm arrives. Check out the
anniversary page for our full discussion.

We’ve updated our Love is in the Air screenshot gallery with 8 of the best player submissions. As always, if you’d like to contribute to our galleries, please submit your screenshots. You can view all of our screenshot galleries
here.