World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Preview
WoW expands, hot from Blizz-Con
by Rook
previewed on PC
The Coming of the Scribe
Though trade skills in general will receive a score of new recipes that will be made available from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, the most significant trade-skill change will be the addition of yet another brand new profession called Inscription. Though most of the details about the Inscription have not been disclosed, the basic premise behind this new profession is the ability to 'inscribe' an item that players can then use to enhance existing skills, spells and abilities. Though no specific examples were given, it was explained that with an inscription used on a players fireball, healing spell or melee attack ability, depending on what inscription was used, the spell or ability can gain a bonus to damage, critical strike chance or other bonuses. Currently, it is unknown if Inscription will have an associated harvesting profession that can be used to provide materials of creating inscriptions. It is currently believed that Inscription will resemble Tailoring and enchanting which would mean that it will not have an associated “harvesting” profession.
A Level 80 has a good hair day
One of the most important additions from the upcoming expansion another increase in the maximum Level available. When Burning Crusade launched in January, the old level limit went from 60 to 70 and in Wrath of the Lich King, players can advance to Level 80. Ten new levels with all new skills and abilities to discover! Again, Blizzard did not disclose any details on the skill sets for any of the classes for the new levels. But don't worry, we have been assured that the skills and abilities earned by increasing your level will out-do the abilities earned in Burning Crusade.
A member of the Blizzard Wrath of the Lich King development team was quoted, "Epic barber shop for the win!". The comment was clearly made in jest and good humor, however it did convey the idea behind the concept: Wrath of the Lich King now provides new character customization options. So after long years of player feedback, the Blizzard dev team finally caved and made it possible to change your character's hair, skin tone and dance style. Players will finally be able to change the cosmetic attribute of their veteran characters and new characters will be offered a larger variety of player customization options. Now maybe finally we get kill off that blasted Macarena Dance once and for all.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
But wait, the great news isn’t over just yet! The biggest and most significant addition coming from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion will be the long awaited addition of the first ever playable class, the Death Knight. The Death Knight is not a normal player class, it is Blizzards first World of Warcraft 'Hero Class'. The Hero Class is a category of class that requires the player to unlock for his/her own account. An epic storyline-driven quest will explain the origin and relation of the Death Knight and the relationship it has with both the player and the Lich King Arthas. By finishing the quest you unlock the ability to play as a Death Knight.
