World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King PTR 3.2 had a patch update a few days ago.  Blizzard is adding bits of content on each patch update.  At this point, the Coliseum dungeons are still closed.  However, we get to see a special event that replays itself every 20 minutes or so.  Thrall and Garrosh Hellscream land on the Argent Tournament Grounds from the area the goblins are located, and walk toward the western side of the Coliseum. There they meet Highlord Tirion Fordring.  A few minutes later, on the opposite side (northeast), King Varian Wrynn and Lady Jaina Proudmoore spawn with Stormwind Guards and walk to the same spot to meet Highlord Tirion Fordring.

They have come to be spectators of the Argent Tournament efforts in the Coliseum.  We see references to the Secrets of Ulduar Cinematic, in which Garrosh Hellscream and King Varian Wrynn clash within the walls of the Violet Citadel in Dalaran.  Only Rhonin was able to disrupt their battle. It’s nice to see continuity play out in-game with these lore events.  We have a video to show you the arrival of King Varian and Thrall to the Coliseum.

VideoGamer held an interview with World of Warcraft Game Director Tom Chilton as a follow up to their Leipzig coverage.  In this interview Tom Chilton confirms their plan for a yearly WoW expansion stands correct.  The South Seas, the Maelstrom and the Emerald Dream, (and can I say Gilneas hinted?) have pop into the radar through Chilton’s own lips.  So ... a yearly expansion (check) ... the south seas (check). See you at BlizzCon fellas.

	Blizzard Quote:
	VideoGamer.com: The first expansion was set in Outland, the second in Northrend, which was a little closer to home. Is there anywhere else left on the original map that can accommodate an expansion or does it have to be somewhere foreign? TC: No I don’t think it has to be anywhere completely foreign yet. There are parts of the map that we have left ambiguous and unexplored. There are parts of Eastern Kingdoms and Azeroth that haven’t been filled out yet. Out there in the South Seas there are islands, there’s out where the Maelstrom is. There’s still quite a bit of land mass. We keep referring to the Emerald Dream, which is maybe not exactly in Azeroth, but is sort of tied to it in some way or another. But there are definitely places in Azeroth itself that are close to home that haven’t been filled out yet, so there’s more room for that sort of thing.

We recently unearthed a new trademark by Blizzard that might or not tie-in with the theme of a Maelstrom and South Seas expansion.

We interviewed Chris Metzen and Micky Neilson last February, where they said there were plans for Gilneas, and talked about the upcoming World of Warcraft: Stormrage book which hits bookstores on February 2010. It deals with the Nightmare and the Emerald Dream.

The stars are aligning. (sits in yoga-position and hums).

Image from World of Warcraft RPG: Lands of Mystery.

The San Diego Comic Con 2009 runs through Thursday, July 22 to Sunday, July 26.  You will find Sideshow Collectibles at Booth # 1929.  I am somewhat close with the Sideshow Collectibles representatives and keep in contact a few times throughout the year.  During a mini-Q&A I had with Sideshow Collectibles CEO Greg Anzalone and the Production Manager Brant Bridges, the latter said:

Brant: Yes, we are hoping to do more Blizzard products.  Nothing in the immediate future, but we do have some ambitions.

A few weeks ago, when I asked Sideshow Collectibles if they were to unveil a new Diorama this year at the San Diego Comic Con, I got a very interesting response that might or not mean something is brewing in the house of ideas. (expensive ideas by the way, lol)

The answer was: “We can’t even give you a yes or no here.”  My grandma used to say a popular saying, “Quien calla, otorga” (Whomever shuts up, grants)—in short, if you don’t answer yes or no, that usually really means a yes.  Something might or not be announced at the San Diego Comic Con.

If you are going to the event let me know.  The tickets to the event are sold out, but if you didn’t get a ticket and wish to go there and you have a video camera—I might be able to get you in with a press badge. (No promises, but I can try). Contact me here.

In response to a fan comment / concern that because Tristram Cathedral looks so awesome it may make other ones look lackluster by comparison, Bashiok went into how colored lighting can be utilized to establish themes.

	Blizzard Quote:
	I think there’s a nice juxtaposition between the larger more epic dungeons and the others that may be less epic but have very specific tones and themes associated with them. When you step inside one of the more epic dungeons, like the Tristram cathedral (and considering its past, shouldn’t it be epic?) you immediately know you’re somewhere important. Somewhere that looks and feels magical in its presentation and lighting, as opposed to, say… a cave. Still cool! Caves are still awesome, but you probably don’t want magical purple and green lighting in a cave, it’s probably going to have a much different and subdued feel. If it’s a natural cave it may have light streaming in from cracks above, or if it’s a mine it might have lighting from lanterns. Much earthier and natural. Then you walk into some ancient tomb of a powerful wizard, oh crap, this place clearly has something else going on. The lighting is a bit unnatural, maybe some sickly greenish hues to set a theme and mood. That type of theming adds a lot to keeping the scenery changing and interesting. If you’re just fighting demons against a grey or brown backdrop for hours and hours, days and days, maybe years and years… it gets boring. Interesting, themed, and contrasting scenery all help ensure visual longevity. I think before too long we’ll have shown a nice cross section of the dungeon types and looks. It’s been too long staring at the one dungeon. Each one has a very unique look and feel, so it’s really cool going in to each one and having a total change of scenery. It’s all very exciting and we’re all looking forward to sharing it with you and seeing the fan reactions just as soon as it’s ready.

It looks as if we’ll be seeing some new and exciting dungeons and areas at Blizzcon this year. 

Graham McNeill will appear at the Games Workshop Cribbs Causeway in Bristol on Saturday the 18th of July. It may be a good chance to get your copy of StarCraft: I, Mengsk signed by the author.  He will be there from 1pm - 3pm.  You may contact the store on 0117 959 2520 for more details. Check out a google map here. Submit your photos to publish them on the front page. Let us know if you have planned to go in advance.

I met Graham McNeill in New York a month ago, and took some video of his signing during the Book Expo America. After the break, you can watch three videos of his signing there at the Javits Center. If you attended that signing, you might have shown up in the video.

Games Workshop - Cribbs Causeway
Location Avon
Town Cribbs Causeway - North Bristol

Street Address/Directions Unit 129
Upper Level
The Mall
Bristol
BS34 5UP

StarCraft: Frontline Vol. 3 by Tokyopop is now on sale at a bookstore near you and online.  The most interesting of the four stories no doubt is War-Torn, as well as its artwork and style, by Hector Sevilla—which is the best I have seen in a while.

War-Torn deals with the son of Dominion senator Corbin Phash who is a telepath. He is doing his utmost to hide his son from the Dominion to rid him from the Ghost Program’s rigurous training.  This child telepath will appear in the upcoming StarCraft Ghost: Academy. View the preview images of each chapter here.

Description

Revel in the brutal, menacing and sublime world of StarCraft in this collection of world-expanding adventures….

In “War-Torn, “Senator Corbin Phash used his power and influence to hide his young son Colin’s psionic abilities from the Dominion, but their secret has finally been exposed!

In “Do No Harm,” the sadistic “Butcher of Korhal,” Dr. Burgess, gets his bloody hands on Muadun, a recently captured protoss high templar and goes dissecting for clues on how to mass-produce horrifying protoss-terran soldiers…

In “Last Call,” a lounge singer on the backwater mining post of Meteor Station finds herself at the center of diplomatic intrigue…

And in “Twilight Archon,” the griving head instructor of a protoss templar school discovers what she’ll have to sacrifice just to be whole again.

3 POINT ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF WORLD OF WARCRAFT® STEIN FEATURING THE LICH KING Rise of the Lich King Available in Epic and Legendary Collection

SAN DIEGO, CA (July 1, 2009) – 3 Point Entertainment today announced the next stein in its World of Warcraft® Epic Collection series, Rise of the Lich King, is now available for shipment. The stein is third in the series of high-quality old world-style steins based on Blizzard Entertainment®’s massively multiplayer online role-playing game, and 3 Point is offering both an Epic Collection version and a high-end variant edition branded the Legendary Collection.

Illustrated by premier fantasy artist Alex Horley, the new Rise of the Lich King stein prominently features the malevolent Lich King Arthas Menethil, the central figure in Blizzard Entertainment’s recent Wrath of the Lich King™ expansion set, along with his undead army.

“The continued success of Blood of the Horde and Alliance United, the first two steins in the Epic Collection, has firmly positioned our steins as one of the must have collectibles within the industry,” said 3 Point Entertainment president Jerry Bennington. “With the Rise of the Lich King stein now available we know that the World of Warcraft community will be even more eager to be a part of the collection and share their passion with their friends and family.”

To complement the Epic Collection, 3 Point Entertainment is offering a high-end limited edition variant branded the Legendary Collection.  Each Legendary Collection stein features substantial upgrades including an 18-carat gold plated lid, hand-signed autograph by Alex Horley, hand numbering, as well as premium gold hand-painted accents on the base and handle.  Only 750 pieces of the Legendary Collection are being offered.

“The Legendary version is nothing short of spectacular,” said Bennington.  “Those who have pre-ordered one will not be disappointed and only few remain before they are sold out forever.”

Each Epic Collection stein stands over 10” tall and is handcrafted from authentic fine-grain stoneware and features panoramic bas-relief sculpting and a solid pewter lid.  The World of Warcraft Epic Collection steins are currently available at http://www.wowsteins.com for a retail price of $89.99, and the Legendary Collection is offered at a retail price of $174.99. (click the image for a much bigger and detailed version)

	Blizzard Quote:
	The Rise of the Lich King stein is now available for shipment. Featuring Lich King Arthas Menethil and his undead minions, each hand-crafted stein features amazing graphics by Alex Horley.  Also available is an ultra-rare Legendary version featuring an 18 ct. gold-plated lid and hand-painted gold accents. The Legendary version of stein is limited to 750 pieces worldwide, with each signed by Horley. To celebrate the launch, 3 Point Entertainment is offering 20% off on all Warcraft Epic steins. For a limited time you can enjoy big savings on Alliance, Horde, and the new Rise of the Lich King stein. Visit their website for details and to join the celebration.

SCLegacy and Tractor Media have partnered to produce a short CGI video clip titled StarCraft: First Contact.  It has some nice 3D models and animations.  You can watch the video here.  They have also interviewed the guy behind the CGI.

This one really trails me off.  It has pop into my long-range radar that Blizzard has trademarked Cataclysm.  Based on the three trademarks using the same word, the details seem to describe a new game.  The first one however is worded strangely like if it was a game platform similar to Battle.net, but it might merely refer to a de facto Game.

I don’t doubt it will disappear from the official US Trademark website like the three Redneck Rampage shooter titles, mysteriously trademarked by Blizzard.  What could this Cataclysm game be? Sounds, umm, shaky.

Update: Fans start to speculate Cataclysm may refer to the next World of Warcraft expansion.  It matches perfectly with the theme of the Sundering, an event that happened ten thousand years in the past of Azeroth.  A permanent scar of such cataclysm is known as the Maelstrom. Event that happened when the Well of Eternity imploded when Queen Azshara and her Highborne failed to open a portal to allow the entry of Sargeras and the Burning Legion into Azeroth.  If Cataclysm is the next expansion that might mean the South Seas theme is underway.

It could be a new game platform such as Steam for Battle.net 2.0.  It could be one of the two unannounced games.  It could refer to Diablo III—if we are too desperate to find a link to the word Cataclysm (the destruction of the Worldstone destroyed Mount Arreat leaving a crater). However, all of those except Battle.net 2.0 and a WoW expansion are still far ahead to justify a trademark this early.

What we do have upon us for certain is StarCraft II beta (by the end of .. whatever is left of Summer) and BlizzCon 2009 to be held in August, where the next WoW expansion no doubt will be announced.

Those of you who are passionate about lore, there was a Blizzard licensed product that revealed for first time a lot of lore about locations of Northrend and the South Seas that got published before even Wrath of the Lich King had been announced. Two years earlier to be exact.  This book revealed for the first time Sholazar Basin, Howling Fjord and Borean Tundra.  These locations didn’t exist by name in any of the Warcraft games. It tells you how much input White Wolf Publishing had about upcoming expansions before they were even announced.

The same book contains a lot of never-before-seen lore and locations in the South Seas, where the Maelstrom is.  You can order and download the eBook PDF of World of Warcraft RPG: Lands of Mystery here.  The development of the Maelstrom and the South Seas is no secret.  The Burning Crusade Collector’s Edition had a Behind the Scenes DVD where developers talked about their work in the Burning Crusade. One of the slideshows shown in this DVD showed this map of the South Seas showing various Zeppelin and Boat routes from Kalimdor and Easter Kingdoms connecting with Isle of Kezan as a transportation Hub for the South Seas.

This map showed some kind of transportation (possibly a turtle submarine) from Isle of Kezan (Undermine) to Nazjatar (the underwater city of the Naga where Queen Azshara resides).  It is deep beneath the Maelstrom.  Again, to learn all the lore behind the South Seas and all its isles, you can download the PDF of World of Warcraft: Lands of Mystery here.

Ex-Community Manager, Katricia, said at the offical forums on December 6, 2003 the following:

	Blizzard Quote:
	Katricia: “I’m not sure which islands you are referring to so I’ll skip commenting on those at this time. The team does plan on including content for the Maelstrom and are exploring the best ways to do this.” ~Kat

A few days ago, Blizzard Europe Forum Representative Wryxian said:

	Blizzard Quote:
	As you can imagine, a crocolisk like me is also rather keen on the idea of a water based expansion. But maybe I could be somewhat subdued by some particularly large and opulent fountains. Mmm waterrrr.. glug, glug, glug. *swims away with a blissful tail wiggle*

Our sister site, StarCraftWire.net and IncGamers.com started a Petition Online to request Blizzard Entertainment to reconsider to implement LAN gameplay in StarCraft II.  This after last week’s press visit to the Blizzard offices, where it was stated LAN was not in plans, and that everyone would have to use Battle.net 2.0 service in order to play. The Petition has reached incredibly fast 10682 signatures.

If you agree with the Petition, and wish your voice to be heard by Blizzard Entertainment, feel free to sign the petition.

Update: 8 hours after this post the petition has grown another 10k.  It is now standing above 21,000 signatures. Amazing.

In response to a fan question about how many loading screens we can expect and what they will look like, Bashiok tossed out the entire concept of loading screens.  This is certainly a welcomed change; I wonder how transitions to and from dungeons will be handled?

	Blizzard Quote:
	There aren’t any loading screens. Personally I think it’s amazing and I don’t understand the magic the programmers have worked, but the game is instant or near instant. The same is true for initial game load. Start up the game, create a character, click a button and the game world shows up. No waiting and no real discernible pause. Mileage may vary slightly of course, but it would (from what I’ve seen) be in the realm of a second or two second pause at most.

Retrospect on Diablo III. Codename: Project Hydra

This thing has returned to bite me once more in the—err— where sun doesn’t shine.  The first time you probably heard about Project Hydra was when I posted here on Blizzplanet a rumor from a anonymous source that reached me via chat.  I usually don’t listen to hearsay, or anonymous “I have an uncle that works at Blizzard and told me ... this and that”-kind of breaking news.  That’s why I go straight to the source myself, be it writers, editors, voice actors, music composers, or else.

However, this guy really made me wonder if it was or not fake—about two years ago.  Right before StarCraft II was officially announced, 1up.com had seen a Medusa codename on the Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals itinerary (schedule sheet).  I posted about it on May 18, 2007 at 3pm EST, and twenty minutes later, this guy contacted me to let me know Medusa was the codename of Starcraft II and that it would be announced at Seoul during the 2007 Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals—here is the archived post.  Few hours later, it happened. Starcraft II was announced, which made me wonder if the anonymous source wasn’t fake after all.  He also mentioned Project Hydra and Project South Seas.

On September 7, 2007, barely four months after I first posted about Project Hydra, TheInquirer posted to have heard codename Project Hydra at the GDC.

Last week, Kotaku was not allowed to take photos of three locations within Blizzard Entertainment’s Headquarter.  One of them had a sign titled ... Project Hydra. Check out Kotaku’s article.

The “Project Hydra” Sign
Blizzard is rumoured to be hard at work on something that isn’t World of Warcraft, StarCraft II or Diablo III. That something is allegedly codenamed “Project Hydra,” two words present on a simple plastic placard behind, we’ll assume, an extra layer of security access.

Did Blizzard put it there as a clever ruse or is “Project Hydra” hearsay confirmed via office signage? Regardless, no photos, please!

Note: Apologies for removing the post earlier.  Looking around for references from 2007-2008, I found out that Hydra was indeed Diablo III.  You can see in this concept art the word Hydra.  The person that informed me about Project Medusa, Project Hydra and Project South Seas is not a Blizzard developer. How accurate he is with the Project South Seas, I have no idea.  I had not said this before a couple of years ago, because I don’t reveal sources if they wish to be anonymous.  It might sound silly, but I traced the guy online (don’t ask how), and from my investigation he does deal with Blizzard in certain aspects of the development.  Though he was not part of Project Hydra, it was talked often in the headquarter’s hallways, cafeteria and other places.

What does Next-Gen MMO means? Anyone knows? I have looked online and there doesn’t seem to be a formal definition of what it entails. The only way I can learn what a Next-Gen MMO entails is comparing it with other games out there in development that use the same term. For example, Square Enix is working on a Next-Gen MMO.  Final Fantasy XI team confirmed development on a new MMORPG for consoles and Windows Vista.  This has been the self-definition I had thought all this time it could mean.

Knowing the bits I know of, my gut tells me the Next-Gen MMO might be StarCraft Ghost Online on PC/Consoles.  Starcraft: Ghost was postponed, not cancelled—at a juncture where PS2 and XBox were to be displaced by PS3 and Xbox 360.

Microsoft unveiled XNA on March 14, 2006.  A week later, on March 22, Blizzard announced development on StarCraft: Ghost had been postponed indefinitely.

	Blizzard Quote:
	Blizzard Entertainment(R) Focuses Console-Development Plans on Next-Gen Platforms IRVINE, Calif.—March 24, 2006 Blizzard Entertainment Inc. today announced plans to focus the company’s console-development efforts on the next generation of console platforms. As part of this shift in focus, Blizzard(R) will indefinitely postpone production on StarCraft: Ghost(TM) while evaluating opportunities for utilizing the additional power of the new and upcoming console systems. “Like many in the industry, we’ve been impressed with the potential of the new consoles, and we’re looking forward to exploring that potential further,” stated Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “In addition to allowing us to determine the best course for StarCraft: Ghost, this review period will help us lay the groundwork for our future console games.” In the months ahead, Blizzard will further evaluate the next-gen console technology and determine the best plan of action for offering a StarCraft(R) console-gaming experience that meets the company’s expectations and those of its players. Further specifics on plans for StarCraft: Ghost and Blizzard’s future console games, as well as platform and release information, will be revealed at a later date.

On June 28, 2007—Rob Pardo said he hoped one day to return to Starcraft: Ghost.

On August 27, 2007—Rob Pardo hinted StarCraft: Ghost was not dead during an interview with GameDaily.biz.

On September 6, 2007—At the AGDC 2007, Mike Morhaime explains why StarCraft: Ghost was postponed.

On February 7, 2008, at the 2008 D.I.C.E., Blizzard presented a list of games the developers tackled and ultimately got cancelled.  Games we didn’t even find out existed or were in development at the time.  StarCraft: Ghost however eluded the list and was not present in the list of cancelled games.

Could it be StarCraft: Ghost is the Next-Gen MMO? Surely things look to be that way.

StarCraft Ghost: Academy (Tokyopop) and StarCraft Ghost: Spectres (Pocket Books) are scheduled for release on 2010.  Leord told me yesterday that during his visit at the Blizzard Entertainment’s Headquarter last week it was said by a developer that Michael Liberty and Nova would be part of the StarCraft II single player.

It’s amazing how the manga and the books are so intertwined lorewise with the game and even between each of the printed format books.  Just a few days ago, the Tokyopop editor revealed that the Dominion Senator’s telepath child from StarCraft: Frontline Vol. 3 War-Torn will also be a cast member in the StarCraft Ghost: Academy (Tokyopop).

I might be wrong all over again, but when I have a hunch, I go for it.  A few years back, on March 19, 2005, I reported Dustin Browder had joined Blizzard Entertainment, and I posted my hunch ... that Dustin had been hired to work on StarCraft II. Dustin was hired on March 14, 2005.

I also had the hunch Diablo III would be announced at the 2007 Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals.  I’m not infallible, but my gut tells me StarCraft Ghost might be the Next-Gen MMO. And if true, it might be announced at 2009 BlizzCon.  Hold your tomatoes until then, in case I phail miserably.

Note: I keep scratching my head at a comment from someone (I will keep anonymous) who told me a few months ago, with an interesting remark, the following: “2010 is the year of the Ghost”.

Bashiok has finally revealed the reasons Diablo II patch 1.13 was delayed.  Basically, the Diablo II team resources were moved to work on an emergency contingency when the Warcraft III custom map exploit affected players with injected malware.  This is what Karune said on January 5, 2009:

	Blizzard Quote:
	Warcraft III Custom Map Security Warning We have identified an exploit that could allow malicious software to be spread through Warcraft III maps. We have applied a temporary fix to address this issue when playing on Battle.net, and we are working on a patch to permanently address the issue when playing on a LAN or playing single-player custom maps. In the meantime, we recommend that players avoid downloading maps from unofficial sources or websites they do not trust—be aware that corrupted maps may share the same name as other popular maps. If you encounter custom maps that no longer function or other issues related to this fix, please post details below. As a reminder, this is a serious issue we are working on, and we want to make Battle.net the best online service for gaming as possible. Please only post in this thread if you have constructive feedback to add in regards to this Warcraft III exploit.

This was obviously a very critical exploit that needed action.  The Diablo II team really wanted to dispatch patch 1.13 to players back then, but reality-check things happen.  The good news is that the patch to fix Warcraft III custom map vulnerabilities is now on PTR. Once that PTR is over, the Diablo II team will be free to resume work on the final steps of Diablo II patch 1.13.  They were almost ready to launch within a two-week window.  That means patch 1.13 will be hitting PTR any time in the next few weeks folks.

We want all our fans and visitors to be alert on the news and to join Diablo II patch 1.13 PTR to submit feedback and bug reports to the developers.

You can read Bashiok’s long story after the break.

Joystiq recently interviewed Chris Sigaty about StarCraft II single player.  This interview revealed that the former voice actor behind Jim Raynor had returned, despise their decision to change its direction with a fresh voice actor, one that met Chris Metzen’s original plan.  For those who think to have read wrong, I contacted Robert Clotworthy, who I interviewed twice in the past two years.  This is what he said this afternoon:

Robert: Yes, I can confirm that I’m working with Blizzard Entertainment to reprise my role as the voice of Jim Raynor in StarCraft II.  I’m looking forward to the release of the game and I hope that StarCraft players will enjoy going into battle with Jim and following his adventures throughout the galaxy.

Hurray for Robert, and hurray for the fans.  Jim Raynor is back !  Now we would be in bliss if Glynnis Talken returns as Kerrigan the Queen of Blades.  Hugs to Glynnis, if she is reading.

Update: SCLegacy contacted Glynnis Talken.  At this point she has not been hired to reprise Kerrigan.

The StarCraft: The Dark Templar, Twilight by Christie Golden is now on sale at a bookstore near you and online.  I read this book 3 weeks earlier. It is awesome.

After the seeming defeat of the dark archon Ulrezaj on the protoss homeworld of Aiur, Jake and Rosemary become separated as they flee through the newly repaired warp gate. Rosemary finds herself with the other refugee protoss on Shakuras, while Jake is catapulted elsewhere. But Jake does not have long to live: their enemies are regrouping, and Zamara’s essence must be separated from Jake’s mind before time runs out.

Jake knows he must survive long enough for Zamara to pass on her vital secret. But which faction—Valerian, zerg, or the recovered and increasingly powerful Ulrezaj—will find them first? His only hope rests with the powerful and legendary Zeratul, but as Jake is about to learn…even a dark templar can have a crisis of faith.

These are the key topics you will learn after reading this book: (Instead of straight spoiling, I reveal the plots to look forward to)

SPOILERS

1. We learn the present Hierarchy structure of the Protoss in Shakuras which consists of six members representing each of the Khala and Dark Templar tribes.  Their interaction and rivalries when taking decisions.

2. Zeratul, Hierarch Artanis and Executor Selendis take active roles in certain moments of the plot.

3. We learn what Zeratul has been doing all this time after he killed Matriarch Razsagal and where.

4. Zeratul tells what he saw in the uncharted world and what Duran did there.

5. Zamara finally reveals what dire secret she has sacrificed everything to deliver to the Protoss—the truth about the Protoss, Zerg and the Xel’Naga are finally revealed.  As consequence we learn exactly what the hybrid are and are not.

6. The culmination of what happened with the Xel’Naga temples in the book StarCraft: Shadows of the Xel’Naga, and StarCraft: The Dark Templar, book one: First Born comes to a half-conclusion—leaving a cliffhanger of where Zeratul is headed to off-panel.  Next time we see him will be in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty with his Tidings of Doom and we will get the answer of what happened off-panel after the book.

7. Valerian Mengsk will do something we never saw coming at the end of the book, and rises many questions about his role in StarCraft II.

8. The origin and past of the once young dark templar Ulrezaj is revealed, and how he learned to become the most powerful Dark Archon in history.

9. The Khala protoss have preservers to conserve the memories of all the protoss that have ever lived.  The Dark Templar cut off their appendages to become individual and rejected the Khala. So ... how do they substitute the preservers?  Find out in TWILIGHT.

10. Adun’s true history is revealed. The lies are shredded away.  Did Adun really die?  Did Tassadar?  Where has Adun been all along if he didn’t die? Will he return in StarCraft II? Find out in TWILIGHT.  It is a shocking revelation that is going to thrill all true StarCraft lore fans.

11. The fate of Ulrezaj comes to a conclusion ... or has it?

You better get this book asap. It’s HOT.  Consider it a StarCraft II single player prologue.

Ever had a bunch of friends play Horde while you’ve been playing Alliance and you wished you could just move your character over instead of starting a new one? Well, it seems Blizzard is finally going to implement this popularly requested feature soon. As stated by Neth on the official forums:

	Blizzard Quote:
	We wanted to give everyone a very early heads-up that, in response to player requests, we’re developing a new service for World of Warcraft that will allow players to change their faction from Alliance to Horde or Horde to Alliance. There’s still much work to do and many details to iron out, but the basic idea is that players will be able to use the service to transform an existing character into a roughly equivalent character of the opposing faction on the same realm. Players who ended up creating and leveling up characters on the opposite factions from their friends have been asking for this type of functionality for some time, and we’re pleased to be getting closer to being able to deliver it. As with all of the features and services we offer, we intend to incorporate the faction-change service in a way that won’t disrupt the gameplay experience on the realms, and there will be some rules involved with when and how the service can be used. The number of variables involved increases the complexity of implementing this service, but we plan to take the time needed to ensure that it lives up to expectations before officially rolling it out. We’ll go into much more detail on all of this here at http://www.WorldofWarcraft.com as development progresses. In the meantime, we wanted to let you know that because this type of functionality requires extensive internal testing well in advance of release, you may be seeing bits and pieces of the service in the test builds we use for the public test realms moving forward.

Trag Highmountain has been finally introduced into the World of Warcraft MMO.  He is one of the characters from WarCraft: The Sunwell Trilogy by Richard A. Knaak.  Among the characters from that book that already joined the MMO are Kalecgos, Dar’Khan Drathir, Anveena, Jorad Mace, Tyrigosa (Tyri) and now Trag Highmountain.  If you had any doubt the Tokyopop WarCraft mangas held any canon, you have been proved wrong.  They are worth a read.  I have read the latest three Warcraft Legends volumes so far, and have the Sunwell Trilogy Ultimate Edition book to back it.

In the second volume of the trilogy, Trag Highmountain died to save Anveena by crushing his master’s orb of Ner’zhul.  What he did never realize was that this action would grant him immortality by turning him into an Undead Tauren.  Trag Highmountain returned in Warcraft Legends by Tokyopop with a good story that sets him into a personal mission to avenge his new state.  With the help of Thrall, he reached Borean Tundra to start his journey toward Icecrown.  Little is known about the true nature of his undeath, but we get to see what looks like Ner’zhul’s spirit behind him at one point.  This might not make much sense, but telling more would be World of Warcraft: Arthas spoilers.

Trag Highmountain can now be found as an NPC in patch 3.2 by the Argent Tournament Grounds along with the Taunka, keeping a massive Magnataur at bay.  This is the same Magnataur Boss that is to be fought in the new Argent Tournament Coliseum dungeon.  In Warcraft Legends, Trag did reach the Icecrown Citadel, just to fall victim to Arthas the Lich King who turns him into a an unwilling Death Knight servant.  Time later, Trag regains his freedom and joins the Taunka.  It is strongly believed that Trag might have some quests for us at some point to enter Icecrown Citadel.  Who knows, he might even join us in the battle against the Lich King. We gotta have to wait and see.

You can view some of the Warcraft Legends preview scans about Trag Highmountain here and here.

Many Gaming Sites visited Blizzard Entertainment this past week and now that the NDA has been lifted, you can see a plethora of interviews and coverage hit the netwaves around the world.  We will be collecting as many links to these as possible. Check back often for updates.  I recommend the Shacknews interview. Dustin spills the beans on four missions of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty single-player.  Each campaign mission will be a mini-game on its own.

	Blizzard Quote:
	Shack:  You haven’t shown much of the singleplayer component, and that may be one reason for a lot of the skpeticism. Do you think the Terran campaign will catch some people by surprise? Dustin Browder: I hope so. It’s going to be pretty huge. It’s really different than anything you’ve seen before in our titles. This is sort of a level of choice and options for the player—RTS is typically, you’re on the rail man. And if you get a mission you can’t beat, I guess you’d better take it back. Well, you can’t take it back anymore. [laughs] I’m [thinking] of when you could take games back at [Electronics Boutique]. But you were just stuck right, and that’s terrible. But now if you get stuck, you can go, “I’m going to come back to this one. I’m going to go myself something powerful and come back here and make this one suffer.” At the same time, I think players—we learned a lot obviously in StarCraft, and I think this team learned even more in WarCraft III, in terms of the kinds of mechanics that you’re going to get in this campaign. The kinds of things you’re going to be doing in missions, I think is pretty cool stuff that maybe players aren’t quite prepared for. We’ve got a mission right now where every five minutes, lava rises and kills everything on the ground. Everything dies. You’ve got to get to the high ground or die. We’ve got a mission right now where infested Terrans are attacking at night, but they’re hiding in the ground by day, so you need to just hold out all night long like you’re in I Am Legend. Like, “I’ve got to live!” and then day, “Get ‘em! Kill ‘em while they sleep!” And you run out and you burn everything as fast as you can, and then when darkness starts coming you have to get back and hide out. We’ve got missions where you’re trying to defend a Terran colony that’s getting infested one piece at a time, and you’ve got to try to put out all these fires while fighting off these infested units. We’ve got this mission where you are a lone ghost trying to influence the course of an entire battle. So each of these missions is like a little minigame.

• Shacknews: Dustin Browder Interview (Single Player)
• Eurogamer Hands-On Preview
• Kotaku Hands-On
• Kotaku: Inside Blizzard’s Library (now we know where they get easter eggs)
• Videogamer Hands-On
• Gameplanet on Multiplayer
• Gameplanet on Single Player
• Destructoid Interview on Single Player (awesome)
• IGN Multiplayer Mayhem
• Eurogamer—WOW held up StarCraft II for a year
• Gamespy Hands-On
• Ve3d Interviews Sigaty
• Joystiq interviews Sigaty (Clotworthy returns)
• 1up Preview
• Gamespot Hands-On
• Eurogamer Hands-On
• CVG Preview
• Ve3d Interview with Chris Sigaty
• Geek Preview

Blizzard Tours

• IGN

G4TV scores an awesome interview with Dustin Browder—if we can really call it an interview. The man talks non-stop straight for 10 minutes.  You can feel and thrill at the passion Dustin Browder irradiates when talking about every detail and strategy of each unit and race, and the development of the game.  Worth a watch.  Make sure to bring some popcorn, WoW Game Fuel, and a few napkins to remove excess drooling.