Blizzcon Wrap-Up

Tournament Information:



Arena 5v5 Tournament: MoB Turtlebeach defeates Nashwan in
3-0 sweep



CGS 2v2 (US): DnT is victorious over HARDEST OUT in 3-0
sweep



CGS 2v2 (EU): NothingSpecial wins over Rapidflame 2-0



For their victory MoB TB brought home an impressive $25,000
cash prize and forever the title of "First 5v5 Arena Champs". It's unfortunate
that the tournament this year was somewhat reduced due to the numerous
disqualifications, though with all the rules out there this year I expect many
teams will have their accounts in order (and with any luck a little help from
blizzard to change their tournament so they are not violating any state
gambling laws) for next years tournament.



Beyond Blizzard's 5v5 tournament the CGS held their
qualification rounds at the convention, where the top 8 teams (4 from EU, 4
from US) have now been pre-qualified for the 2008 CGS draft.



United States Qualified Teams:



1)
DnT



2)
HARDEST OUT



3)
Ensane



4)
CTS



European Qualified Teams:



1)
NothingSpecial



2)
RapidFlame



3)
WTS Skill



4)
Cyclone and Run



Expansion Information:



Unless you've been living under a rock the last few days
then you already know the new expansion, Wrath of the Lich King has been
officially announced. Here's a quick list of the big items that have been
confirmed for the expansion:

• Level
  cap raised from 70 to 80 (will take approximately the same time to level
  as it did from 60 to 70)


• New
  spells and abilities


• 51
  point talents


• Set in
  Northrend (which will be a continent in the old world)


• New
  profession: Inscription - will allow you to permanently buff your
  abilities, spells, skills, etc. (longer KS, harder hitting fireballs, more
  damage on MS, etc.)


• New
  battleground


• Siege
  weapons in battlegrounds


• Destructible
  objects in battlegrounds


• New
  Arena maps


• New
  hero class: Death Knight (the DK will be a 2h / dual wielding tank / dps
  class with some additional offensive magical abilities and attacks.)


• The DK
  is unlocked by completion of a quest line at 80, after completion you'll
  be able to start a new DK somewhere between levels 55-70.


• Dalaran
  will be the capital city


• New
  dungeons, raids, quests, items, etc.

Above all I'm most excited about the introduction of the
Death Knight. A new class, new abilities, new everything, and I don't have to
rely on a 25 man raid to unlock it, what more could you ask for? I really like
the overall idea of the class, though it does worry me a bit about how the DK
will fit into arenas (if you'll be allowed to play hero classes in arena at
all). Obviously the class is still in the works so nothing is 100% right now,
though this is just a taste of what's to come:



"Unholy Embrace - 5 minute cool down



Target is embraced by a silhouette of darkness for 12
seconds, corrupting any healing spells and effects cast upon or currently
affecting the target to cause damage for 50% of their healing potential instead
of restoring health. Any damage shields cast upon or currently affecting the
target will also be instantly consumed, dealing 50% of their absorption
potential in damage. Once afflicted with Unholy Embrace, the target cannot be afflicted
with Unholy Embrace again for 1 minute."



Beyond the numerous balance issues involved with the DK I
cannot wait to see him and other hero classes introduced into the game, it will
certainly add an entire new realm of strategy and complexity to an already
great MMO.



Panel Discussion Information:



Among the hundreds of topics discussed during the panels on
talents, classes, etc, here are some of the more notable points. 1) Priests
fear ward is being looked at, potentially meaning races outside of dwarf and draenei may
receive it (horde please!) as a means to further balance arena. 2) Hunters will
receive some love in patch 2.3, specifically attributed to their utility in
arena and group PvP. 3) Group que for AV is back! 4) There will be a rating
requirement to buy an arena weapon. 5) Rogues will receive some long awaited
mobility buffs (thank God!). 6) Shamans get some love with the change to
Shamanistic Rage: "Reduced all damage taken by 30% and gives your successful
melee attacks a chance to regenerate mana equal to 15% of your attack power.
Lasts 30 sec." 7) Other talent changes to enhancement to make it viable (if not
overpowered) in PvP.



All in all Blizzcon gave us what we truly wanted, more
information. Based on the information released at Blizzcon I think we can all
rest easy knowing the expansion and game is headed in the right direction.
Blizzard is taking every step needed to further balance arena while not
diminishing the intricate strategy involved with each class, if anything they
are adding additional levels of complexity with hero classes on the way. All
that aside, congratulations to MoB Turtlebeach on their 5v5 championship,
congratulations to the 8 teams that are now pre-qualified for the CGS draft,
and congratulations to Blizzard for a job well done at this years convention.



-Derek "Zuggy" H.