WoW News

We’ve updated our BlizzCon photo galleries with a new gallery featuring the winner of the Costume Contest.

The cast of the popular Web series The Guild has done it again with a brand new music
video that asks, “Do You Want to Date My Avatar?”
This catchy video has rocketed to the top of the charts.

If you enjoy it, you can read the lyrics, get the MP3 on
Amazon.com,
or get the video from iTunes. And don’t forget to catch the cast of The Guild live at
BlizzCon later this week.

Blizzard Entertainment is happy to announce the third World of Warcraft expansion set, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm! Hidden away in his sanctuary within Deepholm, the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing has waited, recovering from the wounds of his last battle against Azeroth and biding his time until he can reforge the world in molten fire. Soon, Deathwing the Destroyer will return to the surface, and his eruption from Deepholm will sunder the world, leaving a festering wound across the continents.

In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, players will be able to play as two new races — goblins and worgen — as they explore newly revealed parts of Azeroth and re-experience familiar zones across Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, areas rewrought by the cataclysm and filled with new opportunities for adventure. Players will achieve new levels of power, take on challenging new dungeons and raids, and experience sweeping changes that will alter the face of Azeroth forever.

For more information, make sure to read the official press release and FAQ, and then visit the new World of Warcraft: Cataclysm site for screenshots, information about the new features, concept art, the announcement trailer, and more.

The new World of Warcraft Faction Change service is now live. As we mentioned
previously, we’ve been in the process of developing a new service for World of Warcraft that will allow players to change their faction from Alliance to Horde or Horde to Alliance for a fee. After purchasing a Faction Change for a character, a player can choose any race of the opposite faction that is compatible with the character’s class. For more information on the Faction Change service, please read the FAQ, or visit the Faction Change page to get started.

Based on further community feedback, we have also decided to offer a race change service in the future. Players who choose to switch races will be able to change their race within their same faction and class. Additional details will be released at a future date.

Last week, we spotlighted a barrage of BlizzCon-based previews, interviews, panel reports, and more from around the Web. Since then, the flow of articles hasn’t stopped, and we’ve selected a few more interesting pieces for your reading enjoyment. Check out the list below:

• Bitmob: Assorted Interview Tidbits
• Eurogamer: StarCraft II Hands-On
• Joystiq: StarCraft II Interview
• Wired: StarCraft II Q&A
• Crispy Gamer: Diablo III Preview
• GameSetWatch: Diablo III Sandwasp Shoot’em Up
• Joystiq: Diablo III Interview
• Crispy Gamer: Cataclysm Preview
• IGN: BlizzCon Round Table

Blizzard Entertainment will once again be representing in full force at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo, taking place this weekend, September 4-6 in Seattle, Washington. PAX attendees will have access to playable versions of Diablo III (including the recently announced Monk class), the earth-shattering World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion, and the engrossing StarCraft II single-player campaign. Community managers will also be in attendance to chat with attendees about the past, present, and future of Blizzard Entertainment games. We hope to see you there!

The second day of the BlizzCon gaming convention is now underway! Yesterday, we unveiled World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Diablo III’s new monk class, and discussed some of the new features of the updated Battle.net. Today’s main events include the finals for this year’s Warcraft III, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft Arena tournaments; more developer panels, including the World of Warcraft Game Systems, Diablo III Art, and StarCraft II Lore panels; and the epic closing concert featuring Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain and Ozzy Osbourne. Keep your eye on www.BlizzCon.com throughout the day for updates — and don’t forget that you can follow us on Twitter via @Warcraft, @StarCraft, and @Diablo.

Friday night’s Dance, Sound-Alike, and Costume contests (hosted by comedian Jay Mohr) were showcases for some amazing creativity, talent, and craftsmanship. Here are the winners of the evening’s live competitions:

Dance Contest

• First Place: James Griffin, Dwarf Female
• Second Place: Audrey Wright, Human Female
• Third Place: Alexander Lok, Dwarf Male

Costume Contest

• First Place: Lorraine Torres, Mistress of Pain
• Second Place: Zachary Shaffer, Kel’Thuzad
• Third Place: Andy Kimble, Tier 8 Paladin

Thanks to everyone who participated!