He Knows, You Know :: SPOILERS for Icecrown

In my defense, I know. I think WAY too much about character motivation, but I'm a writer, these things fascinate me. Below, you'll find some thoughts on the Way to Icecrown in light of the new 3.3 Trailer. I warned you.

There's a reason it's in game. You don't pick it up. Someone else does...

Once upon a time in Azeroth, the Bad Guys had no fear.

If we go back to Old Skool Onyxia, to Nefarion, even to C'Thun (as we're peering back into the midsts of Vanilla territory) it's fair to say these guys weren't expecting to die, in ANY way, shape or form. In the mould of so many other classic villains their job was simple: have great-looking Underground Lairs, take no grief from anyone who wasn't also a Villain (because that makes you all inferior anyway) and die spectacularly, normally after many days and weeks of being hit. In Vanilla, being the Bad Guy was easy.

Not so for Arthas Menethil. He comes with a fairly complicated and very well-documented back story. He has a love interest. He has undead women with death-wishes against him who are nowhere near inferior, oh no. He also arrives with a legacy, as we are shown via the Icecrown sound files. Whether we like it or not, we can't actually destroy the Lich King at all, because if we do... well, it would be bad. Uther, the First Paladin, will explain:

There is... something else that you should know about the Lich King. Control over the scourge must never be lost. Even if you were to strike down the Lich King, another would have to take its place. For without the control of its master, the scourge would run rampant across the world, destroying all living things.

So, let's take a moment to digest that. We can kill Arthas, but if we do we are the agents of our own demise. Uther, love his heart, is basically telling us that if we go and do what we've been conditioned to do over all these years we'll lose. Funny that, as people have already suggested this would be a great thing. This of course means that at some point someone will have to go step into that breach, and I'll think you'll find the smart money's already being laid on a Mr B. Fordragon from Stormwind being the #1 Candidate.

This also marks a fairly significant departure from WoW's traditional form of storytelling. Before, with a Big Bad, you'd kill them and they'd simply respawn in a week, and the Lore around them would remain blissfully unaware of the occurrence. Arthas again is different: even though we have the chance to kill him, over and over again if we so desire for the phat lewts and the Hard Modes, the foundations are in place for him to die for good. Once Arthas disappears, it's been placed in Lore that he has a replacement. He doesn't just keep coming back. We have closure. Of course it's only temporary but this falls in line with the way Blizzard have moved forward story lines in Wrath. With the coming of 3.3 the Beasts of Northrend gradually begin to disappear from outside the Tournament [*], because we no longer need to fight them, we're all off to Icecrown. Yes of course they're still there in the Instance, but in the outside World of Warcraft, they've gone. We've moved on.

Most importantly of all however, I believe with Arthas we have a bad guy who is singularly different from any other before him: this one knows he's going to die. His time for arrogance is gone. The trailer shows us a room full of souls, the people Arthas has killed and placed in Frostmourne by his own hand but not necessarily by his own will. The sword has a control over it's wielder, after all, as does the Crown Arthas wears. Jaina is right, the Arthas she knows may yet still be trapped beneath the horror. Those souls hear the call of the Light, as must Arthas himself, and here, in a very refreshing departure, we see a villain who doesn't rail against those who come to taunt him, far from it. It is the sword that hungers, but is it Arthas too? I think not.

So, really, the new logo for 3.3 should look more as follows:

I believe this is a Bad Guy in Warcraft who knows his number is up. Come April, I think a great many people may be surprised at what they find when they go to the Frozen Throne to confront him.

[*] They'd all gone on the PTR and they are still here currently with 3.3 live, so I am assuming as the wings phase in then the beasts will phase out, which will be pretty cool. Blizzard, don't disappoint me!

Executive Power via Swords SPOILERS FOR 3.3 PTR

There be spoilers ahead, yarr. Ye know the drill by now, matey....

DENNIS: Listen! Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

ARTHUR: Be quiet!

DENNIS: Well you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!

ARTHUR: Shut up!

DENNIS: I mean, if I went around sayin' I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me they'd put me away!

 Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Arthur's brush with the Lady of the Lake (I'd like to believe if it did happen it was a lot less mythical and more Monty Python, but that's just me) is just one of the countless examples of how large pieces of metal made by sweaty overweight Blacksmiths have come to be something of a big deal. Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan is as important in that country's history as Excalibur is in ours, and scattered throughout literature there are countless examples of Named Swords with Magical Powers. I could give you you a dozen from Lord of the Rings for starters... but fortunately for now, I won't. What I will do is talk about one particular sword that is about to become fairly significant in Warcraft Lore: Quel'Delar.

The sword in question, outside the Argent Tournament on the PTR

From the datamining that MMO have done on the sword, it becomes clear there's an Epic questline being prepared to reforge Quel'Delar. You find initially the hilt (though as yet there's no indication as to it's drop location) and then you're sent on a series of errands to bring together what remains of the sword, in an attempt to reforge it. This can only be attempted inside the Pit of Saron, the second of the three new five mans, and requires Infused Saronite to do so. You also need the hammer from Forgemaster Garfrost, and to be at his anvil to complete the process. Once complete you're forced to go back to the Forge of Souls to temper the blade... after which, according to the datamined information, you begin to feel a strange compulsion...

'You have re-forged and tempered the sword, yet it sits quietly in its sheath, showing no signs of the power it should possess. You say the sword pulls you, as though it possesses a will? Dare you bring it where it wishes to go? It is not right that the sword should be this silent and this insistent, yet I fear that if you do not take the sword to its destination, we will never learn why. Bear it with you to the Halls of Reflection, but be on your guard and prepare to tell me all of what you learn there'

And here we get our biggest indicator as to what exactly is going to happen in the Halls of Reflection, courtesy again of the quest text. We will meet someone of HUGE Lore significance: Uther the Lightbringer:

'Take Quel'Delar to the Sunwell as quickly as possible, P. Trust in Uther's words when he says that you will not always be able to control the blade while it is subject to the evil of the Lich King's influence. You must travel to the Isle of Quel'Danas, and there, seek entry to the Sunwell itself, where you can cleanse the sword. The guardians of the Sunwell will not simply allow you to walk in, so you must find Halduron Brightwing, who will be inspecting the guards there'

It's probably wise at this point to say a few words about Arthas' sword, Frostmourne.

"Whomsoever takes up this blade shall wield power eternal. Just as the blade rends flesh, so must power scar the spirit."

Discovered in a cave in Dragonblight by explorer Muradin Bronzebeard, the sword allowed Arthas to finally defeat the Dreadlord Mal'Ganis, but forfeited his soul to the Lich King, transforming him into a Death Knight. Clearly it is an item of tremendous power: however, there are hints that if separated from the wielder the sword's power can diminish. WoWWiki has a section on Frostmourne's powers as detailed in the Roleplaying game, and it says something very interesting in light of what we found out yesterday about the weapon's current location on the PTR:

'...as long as the wielder's original body remains within one mile of Frostmourne, the sword maintains control of the body, and he may not be completely aware that his consciousness has shifted to the weapon. Beyond one mile, the sword cannot control the wielder's body, and the wielder of course finally becomes quite aware of his current state (if he is not already)...'

So we have stablished that Frostmourne lies in the Halls of Reflection, unguarded. We surmise from the RPG information that if separated from it's owner, it's power wanes. We now also know that Uther himself is tied in with Quel'Delar's reforging and that the two blades are destined to be inextricably linked... and then there is the information today that has surfaced on Blizzard's website, in the form of two new biographies. This sword will be wielded by both Horde and Alliance, by two women whose fates are forever entwined with Arthas and the Lich King. One is out for revenge, the other to save the love she lost so long ago.

What we are yet to see is what happens when Qulel'Delar and Frostmourne are in the same room. As you can tell I'm already rather excited at the prospect...

What is To Come...

One of the things I love about the datamined information from MMO is the chance it gives people like me to speculate on what may be coming in game. In amongst the first slew of information we got from the PTR was the addition of a new model: Terenas Menethil. Those of you paying attention will know this is the father of Arthas, the voice we hear in the Lich King cinematic:

My Son... the day you were born, the very forests of Lordaeron whispered the name... Arthas.

My child, I watched with pride as you grew into a weapon... of righteousness. Remember, our line has always ruled with wisdom, and strength. And I know you will show restraint when exercising your great power.

But the truest victory, my son, is stirring the hearts of your people.

I tell you all this, for when my days have come to an end, you shall be King...

It is no surprise therefore to see Arthas' father appear in game as we approach Icecrown, especially if you take a look at the video above which is by far the best representation of an in-game event I have ever seen. Ashbringer depicts the events around the Epic Death Knight quest 'The Battle for Light's Hope Chapel' and I cannot help but think the parallels between Mograine and Arthas will be played on to the full. In fact, I'd put money on seeing a similar scene with Arthas and his father as we witness at Light's Hope with the Mograines.

What is most satisfying for me from a Lore Nerd's point of view is the foreshadowing we've had of the events leading to Icecrown. The sword in the ice, Quel'delar, so close to the spot where Sindragosa was raised, has been sitting quietly for a long time, and now we also have the potential of an epic questline to reforge it and use it in the batttle ahead. We have a man in Tirion Fordring who understands Arthas, but who also understands what it is like to lose a son. The questline in EPL/WPL that starts with Fordring and helps you escort his son ultimately to his death (and ultimately pushes Fordring to retake his place as the Head of the Order of the Silver Hand) is the start of a long journey with this Paladin, a man driven by a need to see justice prevail and the Light win over the Darkness. We have two factions almost at war, their men looking only to conquest and their women left to aid us in what could well be Azeroth's darkest hour. I have never been a great fain of Jaina Proudmoore but I feel it's right that it's her who will be leading the Alliance in the first part of our journey in the 5 mans. Considering how badly the Sons of Azeroth have done...

Considering the changes Blizzard have made to the game with Wrath, I cannot help but feel a sense of anticipation at what is to come. Part of me thinks that another Wrathgate Cutscene is coming, and I hope I'm right, because to have those added to the game at this point would be pretty much the icing on the cake of an expansion that has delivered the dramatic, and more. I'd expect to see Bolvar back too, in one form or another, but in the end I'm hoping that Blizzard can deliver an end to this Expansion that justifies all that we have come through, that ties up the Hero Class storyline and that finally sees us taking centre stage with Azeroth's heroes of past, present and future.

Roll on 3.3 :D

./waves

Off on Holiday tomorrow. It's gonna get silly in the next week, considering the datamined information I've seen emerging from the PTR... new race combos. I'm scared and excited, all at once.

However I need to go to bed now.

I'll leave you however with this:

Frostmourne.

So, does it drop in Icecrown?

:D

It's NOT a Race!

There's a lot of speculation going on currently as to the classes that Goblins and Worgen will get a crack at come the next expansion. Blizzard are sticklers for Balance (not Druids, obviously, or else it would all be leather caster lewts) and they do like to watch numbers very closely. With two new races comes the possibility however for something new, and with the well-publicised Faction changes in the works... I had a thought.

What if Blizzard would allow you to pick your race, class AND faction come Cataclysm?

It should not be hard for both Goblin and Worgen to have both Horde and Alliance starting areas. It would make logical sense to have the races on both sides of the fence, considering the Goblin's proliferation in Horde territories. The Worgen could easily have pro and anti-Allance sympathies. The only real work would be at 1-25 for both races, in terms of quests and objectives, but as we've noted before most people will be busy steaming towards 80 (or 90, we assume) anyway.

Failing that, how hard would it be to make 1-25 faction free? That would do away with the need for double starting areas, and if at 25 you had a quest that allowed you to decide your path... is it really that hard to do? How about a Battle for the Undercity-style quest chain to allow you to visit both capitals and see what both factions could offer you.

This would be the ULTIMATE way of giving players the thing they ask for the most: flexibility.

If Blizzard are worried about balance, simply limit the number of faction-choices each person gets to one per server to begin with, just like they did with the DK's. This way I'd get a chance to roll TWO new races at startup ( 2 accounts ftw) and be able to have them both as Alliance, Horde, or one of each. An Alliance Goblin frankly would be rather ace.

If Blizzard are going to allow Allliance to become Horde and vice versa, wouldn't having two races who were interchangeable at startup simply be a logical extension of that?

Southsea Shakedown!

We really should have gotten our first hint when the Underwater Mount popped up in game. After the cold frozen North Blizzard's heading south for the next Expansion, to the swirling Maelstrom on your map. After (allegedly) 31 bosses in Icecrown, I reckon we'll all need a holiday.

There's a lot of nerdish muttering on the back of yesterday's leak, most of which centres around how Blizzard will be inserting Goblins into the Lore, how towns like Everlook and Gadgetzan will survive, and how Bloodsail Admirals could be royally shafted. Frankly, I think it would serve them right for all that senseless Goblin slaughter, but this does raise a totally legitimate point: how will Blizzard present two new races into a game where they've nerfed 1-60 pretty much to the ground (baby!) Most people want to spend as little time as possible in the starting areas any more, they want to be at 80 doing Endgame and moaning about how pointless jousting is.

The race to 90 (one assumes we have to do another 10 levels) is going to be very interesting if you're starting from scratch. With the introduction of heirlooms they'll be the dedicated few who will have + 20% to XP standing by from the off, already giving them a sprint start. As I can't see Blizzard reverting back to Vanilla levelling figures (and I can also see them shortening the 60-70 curve when Cataclysm is relased) would it be possible I wonder to do it in 36 hours, or perhaps even less? After the mad rush of Draenai and Blood Elves from last time, I have to believe they'll be people determined to get to the South Seas from L1 as quickly as Gobliney possible. Of course we should also have a new profession to look forward to (go Woodworking!!!) but if Blizz don't go that route... would it be possible that we might see a new Class?

Last time around we got Belf Pallies along with the Draenai Shaman to balance the smiting and the conduiting across the Factions. This time, I am wondering if Blizz might not stick another Class in that is only available to the two new starting races. If so, what would it be? Here's a few thoughts:

• Bard: The Singer of Songs, the giver of a range of party buffs depending on what hit he's thrashing out on his pipe (made by Goblin Woodworkers, sits in relic slot) or possibly his Banjo (a Worgen Woodworking speciality) He can also heal with the power of song, or kill people with a well placed High C. Would automatically add a huge +spi buff to any party due to his sheer coolness. Would /dance like Elvis (thankyewverrymuch) Would also spend huge amounts of time in the Inn (claiming to be gathering rested bonus) when he's just hoping to be talent spotted.

• Entrepreneur: Where Goblin Engineering and financial know-how collide. The ultimate in business acumen, the Entrepreneur's three talent trees have it all: Corporate, Company and Self-Employed. They fight tooth and nail with a rogue's tenacity using a range of office equipment skillfully converted to weaponry: phear the Goblin-Powered Stapler Gun! They bring buffs to boost players Expertise in filing, photocopying and standing around the mailbox in IF gossiping about last week's raid. Worgen Entrepreneurs will be created with a starting level camel hair coat and trilby, and a Non-Combat pet called Rodney. They'll be able to buy a 3 wheeled cart as transport at L20.

• Fashionista: the first class only available to female toons, and a radical ploy by Blizzard to pull more 16-25 females into the game. Able to crit with the power of a well-chosen ensemble and with shoes that give +25 to the new stat of Style... All Fashionistas however start with a -40 int penalty. Well really, if they're dumb enough to fall for this pile of rubbish, they deserve the nerf.

But seriously... we know all about the races now, do we REALLY have to wait to find out the new profession we'll be learning???? Why can't someone just tell us NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

./wonders off muttering about NDA's and how life is so unfair...

[EDIT: Yes, I KNOW I spelt Maelstrom wrong. Well done for actually reading and noticing :D]

I Talk to the Trees...

...that's why they put me awwwwwwaaaaayyyyy!!!!!!

Week 2 of the Summer Holidays, and there has been much work on raquetball and swimming, and less in Azeroth, but there will be an update Tuesday morning after a very successful 25 Man Naxx last night. However, WoW.com has yet again pre-empted a conversation that's been going on in our Guild, that of the (potential) profession of Woodworking.

If we assume for the moment (as we are with two new playable races in the works) that the upcoming expansion will also debut a new profession (as Jewelcrafting was in TBC with the Draenai/Blood Elves) I'd really like to think that Woodworking may finally get the nod. I feel that it's a profession that could pretty seamlessly integrate into Azeroth as it stands, that it's potential output would fill some important crafting holes and that the economy could sustain it. Most of all, however, as a total and utter professions NUTJOB I would be very VERY VERY excited at this. No, stop backing away, let me explain why.

When Jewelcrafting was debuted pre-TBC there was a glorious period pre-expansion when Blizzard seeded the old world with the 1-300 content. Patterns appeared across the two continents (nostalgia!) and gave us a fantastic insight into what we'd need and the gathering commenced with enthusiasm. Patterns changed hands for stupid amounts, people ran old world instances until their eyes bled. When the expansion hit I spent six hours with a mate going from 1-300 and it was frankly brilliant. For once it wasn't about relying on a group for an instance or 40 mates for a raid. This was summat I'd worked towards on my own and I'd gathered for and was just awesome to do, and in the end I made a pretty good profit at the end.

Of course a great deal has changed since then, but I find myself thinking that when Blizzard debut a new profession (and I do think it's high time they did) it's going to reignite the love of crafting in a lot of people. Especially if it means bows, staffs, shields (*) and wooden items like relics and sigils that are really missing from the current crafted range.

So I'll lift my eyes skywards and say a silent prayer to the woodland gods, and hope that as well as Goblins (Master Woodcrafters! I've seen them in the Deadmines! Racial bonus!!!) and Worgen we'll be whittling and pulping come the next expansion...

(*) Yes I do know BS's can do shields, but there's squat for spell casters. There's a hole right there that could really do with filling!

Goblins and Worgen and Maelstroms, Oh My!

MMO-Champion is always good for authorative infomation, mostly because of the nature of the source material, namely the game files. Late Friday Boubouille pulled out 4 new Halloween masks from the game files: 2 Goblin and 2 Worgen, and made the assumption from this that these were the two new races Blizzard were planning for the Expansion. As a rule he's seldom wrong, as the game files pretty much speak for themselves. WoW.com jumped on it as well. Seems to me that if two major WoW sites are prepared to add credence to this, it's worth serious consideration.

It is logical to assume that as we had a new Hero Class last time around Blizzard would go back to adding new races this time around. This would pull a lot of people back into the game to relevel with new quests and factions. It's a cracking choice of races: if the Goblins were indeed the Horde faction as is being suggested, it could go a long way to redressing the Horde/Alliance inbalance on many servers.

What makes me most excited about these races however isn't anything that's been datamined, but it's something that's been around since... well before MMO even existed. It's a list which apparently you can be banned for posting on the Official Forums. If Internet legend is to be believed, it was leaked back in the day by 'a disgruntled ex Blizzard employee' I'm betting after all these years there must be a few of those... So I will paraphrase. This list has accurately mirrored the Draenai/Blood Elves starting areas, it predicted many of the Northrend zones and if you look at a copy (scroll down that thread to find it), it has a section entitled 'Maelstrom Set' You'll find many places mentioned in that list. Here are three of them, in no particular order:

The Broken Isles
Kezan
Gilneas

We already know Blizzard have copyrighted the word 'Cataclysm' in the last few weeks. So let's take a closer look at those places (with location links via the lovely WoWWiki)

For those of you who don't know:

Gilneas is a human nation and kingdom located in the peninsula directly south of Silverpine Forest on the continent of Lordaeron. The kingdom was founded following the breaking of Arathor and is ruled by the Greymane dynasty. Besides the peninsula, the kingdom also included the island of Zul'Dare.

Ooooh, so that's a Human area RIGHT NEXT DOOR to where a load of Worgan exist. If you've done any of the Horde quests in that area (or indeed if you've visited Silverpine Hold or Shadowfang Keep) you'll know all about Arugal, who of course is ressurected in Northrend and who you have to kill all over again in Grizzly Hills. If we put aside the levels allocated on the original list, this would be an idea spot to stick a starting zone. It would ressurect a ton of Old World Content, it would mean Blizz could reinvent SFK and stick a load of new quests in it for Alliance. This list also points to Grim Batol as an update area. Huge Great big Underground Zone right there, would make a superb spot for a 80+ instance, would also bring people back to the Old World... and woudn't be much work for Blizz to spruce up. The dragons might get a bit miffed at being moved mind. Where would I farm my red dragonscale then???

So what about the Undermine, the fabled home of the Goblins?

The Undermine is an underground city located on the small island Kezan in the southern seas of Azeroth near the Maelstrom.

Ooh look, Kezan's on the List too. Now there's a thing.

Now far be it from me to subscribe to speculation, but from what I see in the Game Files and what I've seen historically, I reckon I'm confident enough to say that the new races in the Expansion are going to be the Goblins and the Worgen, and it's going to be based in the Maelstrom. It's only a month to wait now for Blizzcon.

I look forward to being proved wrong.