The evolution of Blizzard’s blockbuster MMORPG has been a six-year spectacle that has been impossible to ignore. The remarkable strides World of Warcraft has taken over the course of 3 expansion packs have put an ever-growing chasm between it and its closest competition. The latest expansion for WoW is Cataclysm, and as well as adding the expected new high-level content, it reworks large portions of the original Azeroth.
Monthly Archives: April 2012
WoW Warsong Gulch
With the arrival of World of Warcraft patch 1.5 in June, players got their first taste of game’s PvP Battlegrounds; a major feature that was noticeably absent when WoW was released in late 2004. Battlegrounds are instanced play areas that allow Alliance and Horde to fight it out in a relatively balanced contest. They are essentially games within the game, complete with their own objectives, quests, NPCs, and so on. Here’s a look at how the first 2 Battlegrounds play out, and a glimpse at what the future has in store.
The Dreaded Queue
Obviously, it would defeat the purpose of Battlegrounds to start them without a certain number of players on each side, so a queue system is used to organize matches. You join the queue by going into the Battleground entrance or by talking to a Battlemaster in one of cities. When there are enough players, a Battleground instance will begin, and you can go about other business in the world while you’re sitting in the queue.
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WoW Horde Onyxia Key Quest Guide
Update: You no longer need a Drakefire Amulet to enter Onyxia’s Lair! I’ve left the guide up so old-timers can show their friends what they had to go through to fight Onyxia.
The dragon Onyxia is the boss of a 40-man end-game raid in World of Warcraft. To enter her lair everyone in the raid needs a Drakefire Amulet, often called an “Onyxia key.” Obtaining a Drakefire Amulet involves completing one of the longest quest chains in the game. It differs depending on whether your character is Alliance or Horde. These are the steps required for Horde players.
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WoW Alliance Onyxia Key Quest Guide
Update: You no longer need a Drakefire Amulet to enter Onyxia’s Lair! I’ve left the guide up so old-timers can show their friends what they had to go through to fight Onyxia.
The dragon Onyxia is the boss of a 40-man end-game raid in World of Warcraft. To enter her lair everyone in the raid needs a Drakefire Amulet, often called an “Onyxia key.” Obtaining a Drakefire Amulet involves completing one of the longest quest chains in the game. It differs depending on whether your character is Alliance or Horde. These are the steps required for Alliance players.
1. Dragonkin Menace
Talk to Helendis Riverthorn at Morgan’s Vigil in Burning Steppes to get the first quest in the chain. Dragonkin Menace is for characters of level 54 or higher, and sends you off to slay 15 Black Broodlings, 10 Black Dragonspawn, 4 Black Wyrmkin and 1 Black Drake. These can be found in camps around the zone. You may need some help with the Wyrmkin and Drake which are elite. Return to Morgan’s Vigil when you’re finished.
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Wrath of the Lich King Reviews
At some stage, the overwhelming popularity of a game begins to speak louder than any review ever could, and that’s definitely the case with World of Warcraft, which has just seen it’s second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK). This is an expansion aimed at players with characters at level 70. The new continent, Northrend, consists entirely of high-level content that allows advancement to the increased level cap of 80. It makes an impression from the minute you step off the boat or zepplin the first time, and just gets better from there.
WoW Northrend Guide 2012
How do I get to Northrend?
Alliance players travel to Northrend on ships that leave from Menethil Harbor and Stormwind Harbor. The Menethil ship takes you to Howling Fjord and the Stormwind ship takes you to Borean Tundra.
Horde players catch a zepplin just outside of Orgrimmar for Borean Tundra, or outside of Undercity for the Howling Fjord.
What is a Death Knight?
Death Knights are the game’s first “Hero Class.” You must have another character over level 55 to create a Death Knight. Rather than starting at level 1, Death Knights start at level 55. Death Knights do not replace existing characters and they are available to both factions. Unlike other classes in the game, you can only create one Death Knight per realm.
How do I get to Northrend?
Alliance players travel to Northrend on ships that leave from Menethil Harbor and Stormwind Harbor. The Menethil ship takes you to Howling Fjord and the Stormwind ship takes you to Borean Tundra.
Horde players catch a zepplin just outside of Orgrimmar for Borean Tundra, or outside of Undercity for the Howling Fjord.
What is the new level cap?
The new level cap is 80, up from 70 in The Burning Crusade. Talent trees for all classes have been extended, and professions now go up to 450.
What are the system requirements for Wrath of the Lich King?
Now that the Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft is live, many people are wondering what it has to offer and where to get started. Here are some answers for those who want to get the most out of the new content for this ever-popular MMORPG.
PC System Requirements
Minimum
- Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
- Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+
- 512 MB RAM (1 GB for Vista users)
- 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 32 MB VRAM (Such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or Nvidia GeForce 2 class card or better)
- DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability
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The Alliance Vanguard Reputation Guide
The Wrath of the Lich King expansion added several new factions to World of Warcraft, and it has also given players a new method of earning reputation called “championing.” Here are some pointers for getting reputation rewards in Northrend.
Alliance Vanguard – Rewards
The Alliance Vanguard is made up of four subfactions, each of which is connected to your Alliance Vanguard reputation. There are the Explorers’ League, The Frostborn, The Silver Covenant, and the Valiance Expedition. There are no item rewards for the subfactions, but any reputation gained with a subfaction also increases your Alliance Vanguard reputation.
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